Marino Bloudek secured his place in the final of the European Championships in Birmingham with a brilliant finish in the semifinal, becoming the first Croatian runner to reach a major championship final since Branko Zorko in 1998.
Croatian athletics has finally seen the end of a long wait. Marino Bloudek (27) qualified for the final of the 800 meters at the European Championships in Birmingham, ending a 28-year drought without a Croatian finalist in track events at major competitions. The last time this was achieved was by Branko Zorko in the 1500 meters back in 1998 in Budapest.
Bloudek ran a time of 1:44.96 in his semifinal heat, earning him second place in his group and direct qualification for the final. The race was a true tactical masterclass: 200 meters from the finish, the Croatian record holder was at the back of the pack, only to explode in the final stretch, overtaking several rivals and edging out third-placed Spaniard David Barros by a thousandth of a second, who had an identical time. Along the way, he had to avoid potential collisions with competitors in the closing sprint, which further highlights the control and precision of his performance.
The winner of the group was home favorite Max Burgin, one of the favorites for the title. However, sources differ on his time: Sportske novosti reports he ran 1:44.73, while HRT reports a time of 1:33.73. By far the most impressive performance in the semifinals came from Ireland's Mark English, who in the second heat set a championship record with 1:43.49. A major surprise was provided by the defending champion from Rome 2024, France's Gabriel Tual, who unexpectedly finished only sixth in the first heat and placed 14th overall, thus missing out on the final. From the second, significantly faster heat, Spain's Mohamed Attaoui (1:43.82) and Italy's Francesco Pernici (1:43.84) also advanced on time.
With this qualification, Bloudek has repeated his success from the World Indoor Championships held last winter in Toruń, where he also made it to the final. He is thus confirming his status as the new "locomotive" of Croatian athletics and continuing his rise towards the world's elite. In the overall semifinal rankings, he had the tenth-fastest time, or seventh among the eight runners who made the final.
To break into the very top tier, Bloudek will need to lower his own Croatian record of 1:44.01, set last year. He will have the chance to do so in the final, which is scheduled for Thursday at 10:28 PM Central European Time. Although middle-distance runners rarely chase times at major championships-focusing solely on placement-given the exceptionally strong competition, it is quite possible that it will pull him under the 1:44 barrier.
The 16-member Croatian team, which traveled to Birmingham without Sandra Elkasević and with subdued expectations, has every reason to be pleased after three days of competition. An additional cause for celebration came from the throwing sector: Marija Tolj secured her place in the discus final with the ninth-best result in qualifying (59.85 m). On her third attempt, she solidified her position, after her first throw of 58.91 m was already on the verge of making the final, and her second landed in the protective netting.
