Students of the University of Rijeka once again confirmed their quality at the largest national university sports competition, UniSport Finals 2026. Over two days of competition, the Rijeka delegation won as many as eight medals across seven sports, bringing another successful academic sports year to a strong conclusion.
The rich medal collection of Rijeka students includes one gold, two silver, and five bronze medals:
🥇 Beach volleyball (men)
🥈 Chess (men)
🥈 Badminton (men)
🥉 Table tennis (women)
🥉 Chess (women)
🥉 Tennis (women)
🥉 Tennis (men)
🥉 3×3 basketball (men)
A particularly valuable result was achieved by the Rijeka beach volleyball players, who, after as many as 14 years, once again brought the national championship title to Rijeka. With the gold medal, they also secured qualification for the European University Championship in 2027 in Split, which will serve as a prelude to the European University Games in 2028.
The men’s 3×3 basketball team also earned great admiration, achieving a convincing quarterfinal victory against one of the main tournament favorites, the University of Split, on their way to winning bronze. Their fighting spirit, teamwork, and excellent play were ultimately rewarded with a well-deserved place on the podium.
In tennis, spectators enjoyed highly exciting and closely contested matches, often decided by doubles play. Rijeka’s female and male students gave their all on the court and each won a bronze medal in their respective categories.
The continuity of top results was also maintained by Rijeka’s chess players, badminton players, and table tennis athletes, who have been regular podium finishers for years and once again confirmed their status among the most successful teams in Croatian university sport.
Very little was missing for additional medals. The so-called “wooden medals” went to both the men’s and women’s indoor volleyball teams, as well as the men’s table tennis team, who narrowly missed the podium despite excellent performances throughout the competition.
Congratulations to all athletes and their coaches on their outstanding results, dedication, and sporting spirit with which they proudly represented the University of Rijeka. We believe this is just another step towards future successes and look forward to the next academic year with even more athletes, sports, and medals won.
University of Rijeka participants
(List of participants and coaches unchanged in structure; see below)
Women’s Volleyball
Klaudia Špoljarić, Marija Čabrijan, Valentina Devčić, Barbara Ljubez, Franka Perkov, Nives Vujnović, Emili Kraljić, Ana Jedrejčić, Rita Dušman, Iva Divković, Gea Glavan, Marta Babok, Nikolina Jurman, Ana Šverko.
Coaches: Željko Bradarić, Sergio De Privitellio
Men’s Volleyball
Karlo Mavrinac, Antonio Gerdević, Maksim Kiselev, Dominik Broznić, Franko Žeželić, Leon Kupsjak, Dino Colnar, Ivan Vuk, Erion Dželili, Filip Bačić, Antonio Rupčić, Ivan Babok
Coach: Želimir Kušljić
Beach Volleyball – Women
Valentina Devčić, Franka Perkov
Beach Volleyball – Men
Leon Kupsjak, Ivan Vuk
Coach: Željko Bradarić
3×3 Basketball – Men
Borna Baćac Simper, Bojan Baić, Vedran Rakuljić, Toni Mohorić
Coach: Antonio Pilat
Tennis – Women
Mia Mišić, Dunja Reljanović, Viky Čarapović, Maja Stanić
Tennis – Men
Mario Popović, Leo Kovačić, Emanuel Ivkić, Niko Manestar
Coach: Hrvoje Krišković
Badminton – Women
Ema Seifert, Petra Sušanj
Badminton – Men
Filip Knežević, Zvonimir Vujić, Vito Barić
Coach: Luka Črep
Table Tennis – Women
Veronika Salma, Nuša Stojanović, Sena Smailji
Table Tennis – Men
Lovro Matešić, Adrian Šantić, Luka Krajinović
Coach: Viktor Moretti
Chess – Women
Lana Božić, Lara Nikolić, Jelena Dašić
Chess – Men
Teo Tomulić, Sandro Šafar, Enrico Ghersinich
Coach: Jasna Lulić Drenjak
