Coach Bruno Sabioni revealed the story behind winning the U16 World Championship, highlighting the incredible sacrifices and character of his young players who overcame both a virus and Spain in the final.
Croatia's U16 water polo team has written a new golden chapter in the nation's sporting history. At the World Championship held at the Mladost pools in Zagreb, the young Barracudas defeated Spain 10:7 in the final to climb to the top of the world. Just two days after the triumph, coach Bruno Sabioni spoke to Net.hr about the road to the medal, the virus problems, and the immense sacrifices that preceded the celebration.
"I haven't slept much, but the feeling is wonderful," Sabioni began the conversation, whose phone has been buzzing non-stop since winning the world title. His team didn't just win the tournament; they did it with a dose of drama that forged an unforgettable team character.
The path to gold was anything but smooth. Sabioni revealed that the team had been gathering since December 2025, almost every month, and a month before the championship they entered intensive preparations without a day off. But fate had other plans.
"Fifteen days before the World Championship, a virus crept in and disrupted us so much that literally until the semifinals we didn't have the full team together," the coach recounted. At the crucial moment, he addressed the players with a clear message: "I told the boys that the World Championship wouldn't stop for us, and neither would we until we got healthy. We simply had to pull ourselves together. Whoever is healthy will play, and that's how it turned out in the end."
It was precisely this unity, according to Sabioni, that carried the team from match to match. "The road wasn't easy, but in the end, those boys showed great character and togetherness, and that carried us upward from game to game," he added.
The month leading up to the competition was extremely demanding. The players even joked that they were glad they wouldn't have to see each other anymore. Sabioni realistically described what it means to be a young elite athlete.
"It wasn't easy for them. Their peers are swimming, going out with girls, having fun, while they're working in the pool for 6-7 hours. But that's how it is when you want to be an athlete. You want to be a world champion. These are the things you have to go through," the coach emphasized. He also sent a message to all children who want to pursue sports: "Without great sacrifice, there are no such achievements."
Winning gold in 2026 is not an isolated success. Sabioni recalled the historical context: "In 2009, when Ivica Tucak led the junior national team, we won gold in Šibenik. After that, Ivan Asić won the same gold at the European Championship, and then we combined two great medals, and now in 2026 we have two golds, both from the World Championship."
He added that he hopes Zoran Bajić's U20 team will also achieve a good result at the European Championship, concluding: "Definitely, there is no fear for Croatian water polo."
The experienced expert, who has coached both the women's national team and the senior men's team, revealed how he approaches working with different age groups. "Every time you have to adapt to the situation you're in. I enjoyed all of it-when I was the coach of the women's national team, it was wonderful, perhaps one of the best jobs I've ever had," he recalled.
However, working with this generation holds a special place. "It was a pleasure to work with these kids, and we created a cohesion, a wonderful group, and that ultimately carried us despite all the virus problems. That character built this gold," Sabioni concluded, adding that sport, emotion, and adaptation are universal, regardless of the players' age or gender.
