Students of the University of Rijeka have continued their streak of strong performances at the national level, winning valuable medals in karate and achieving a notable result at the first-ever national university padel championship, held in mid-April and organized by the Croatian Academic Sports Federation.
The inaugural edition of the student padel championship, held on April 15 and 16, brought together 16 teams in both men’s and women’s competitions, confirming the growing popularity of this sport among students. In the men’s competition, Rijeka representatives were among the strongest teams in Group A, where they recorded three wins in four matches along with the University of Split. Despite strong performances and reaching the final stages of the tournament, the Rijeka team narrowly missed out on a medal after a close defeat in the bronze medal match against their city rivals, the University of Applied Sciences in Rijeka. In the women’s competition, the University of Rijeka team reached the semifinals, where they were stopped by the Split team, while the title went to the dominant team from the University of Zagreb.
Representing the University of Rijeka in padel were Mia Marković and Tia Franović in the women’s competition, and Josip Kurilić and Emanuel Ivkić in the men’s competition, under the guidance of coach Hrvoje Krišković. They left a strong impression among the best university teams in Croatia.
An even more successful performance was achieved by Rijeka students in karate. At the Croatian University Championship held on April 11 in Ivanja Reka, as part of UniSport Combat and organized by the Croatian Academic Sports Federation and the Croatian Karate Federation, the University of Rijeka secured an excellent second place overall, just behind the University of Zagreb, while the University of Split took third place. The same ranking was recorded in both the men’s and women’s competitions, confirming the consistent quality of Rijeka’s karate athletes.
Several individuals stood out with performances that significantly contributed to the team’s success. Emma Berta Bočkor won gold in the kata event, while Elena Hoxhaj claimed silver in the women’s kumite category over 68 kg. In the men’s competition, Nino Donadić took gold in the under 60 kg category, and Filip Višnić won silver in the over 84 kg category, further strengthening the University of Rijeka’s position among the most successful sports institutions in the country.
The university sports season continues at the end of April, when Zagreb will host the national taekwondo finals. Ivan Klarić will represent the University of Rijeka in the individual category, as well as in the team event together with Martina Štefanac and Nikola Brnadić, with the Rijeka team defending last year’s silver medal. A new challenge also awaits in athletics, with the national championship scheduled for May 14, where Rijeka students aim to continue their strong results and achieve an even better placement than last year.