Jere Hribar Chases European Championship in Paris Without Stress
Croatia's 2025 Athlete of the Year revealed how he fits in bela and trešeta tournaments between training sessions in Kranj, and eagerly awaits the arrival of his Split teammates.
Croatia's 2025 Athlete of the Year revealed how he fits in bela and trešeta tournaments between training sessions in Kranj, and eagerly awaits the arrival of his Split teammates.
Croatia's swimming team is wrapping up its preparations in Kranj and getting ready for the biggest competition of the year on the Old Continent. On Friday, August 7, 2026, all team members will gather in Zagreb, and the following morning, August 8, they will fly to Paris, the host of the European Championships. Head coach Pero Kuterovac will have sixteen swimmers at his disposal, and one name stands out among them.
Jere Hribar, named Athlete of the Year for 2025 by Sportske novosti, rightfully carries the label of Croatia's swimming star. At last year's European Short Course Championships in Poland, he won three medals: gold in the 50m freestyle, silver in the 100m freestyle, and bronze in the 4x50m relay. Despite these impressive achievements, Hribar feels no pressure.
"There's no burden. I'm glad people see me that way, even though I don't feel like a star. I'm happy that people now expect something from Croatian swimming," Hribar told Sportske novosti.
Hribar is particularly pleased that the public will once again be able to watch Croatian swimmers compete at major events. He noted that there were no broadcasts from the European Championships in Belgrade two years ago, nor from last year's European Short Course Championships in Lublin.
"I'm not sure, but I think we've even returned to HTV, which is a big success. When I was a kid, I couldn't wait for summer or winter to watch Croatian swimmers on TV. At 12 or 13, I actually had no one from our country to watch, unfortunately. That's why I'm glad that today's young generations will have something to watch on TV now," he emphasized.
The atmosphere at the preparations in Kranj is excellent, and the swimmers have come up with a way to pass the time between grueling workouts. They've organized daily bela and trešeta tournaments for eight players.
"Pairs are drawn randomly, and we constantly switch partners and opponents. We don't keep a standings table; we just remember. There's one tournament every day, in the morning after training," Hribar revealed, adding that he eagerly awaits the arrival of three Split natives: "On Friday, Mujan, Grgić, and Puhalović are coming to Zagreb."
When asked about his card-playing skills, he was self-critical: "In trešeta, yes, definitely, but in bela... I still need to improve. I just learned it."
The last two weeks of preparations have been dedicated to details. Hribar explains that the mileage is being reduced, and rest periods are getting longer. The focus is on starts, turns, and finishes. He heads to Paris calm and composed, aware that he has done everything he could.
His personal goals are clear: personal bests in the 50m and 100m freestyle, as well as the 50m butterfly. However, his biggest wish is to reach the finals in both sprint freestyle events. "When you have a lane in the final... then you have a chance for anything, even a medal," he stressed.
The competition will be incredibly tough. He particularly highlights the return of Russian swimmers and the presence of world champion David Popovici, as well as Russian Yegor Kornyev, who recently posted the fastest time in the world this season in the 100m freestyle (46.96).
"I think a medal will require swimming 47.2 or 47.3. Maybe even faster. I wouldn't be surprised by a faster race than the Olympic final in Paris 2024. It's going to be a spectacle," Hribar predicts.
Hribar also has high hopes for the 4x100m relay, for which six swimmers are in contention, with the final lineup to be decided by the coaches. Interestingly, Nikola Miljenić, who has the third-best time in Croatia this season, won't swim individually because he didn't qualify in time, but he will be in the mix for the relay.
Hribar arrived in Paris fully focused on swimming, having successfully passed all his exams and completed his third year of university. His new academic year begins on August 24, 2026. He also used the summer to attend the FIFA World Cup in the USA, where he watched Croatia's match against England in Dallas.
"There were about 3,000 to 4,000 of us in downtown Dallas. I've never seen so many Croats in America, all in one place, in the city center. The atmosphere was the best ever, and I'd do it again without a doubt," he recalled.
At the end of the interview, he smiled and commented on watching his beloved Hajduk's matches during the preparations: "It's not great, to be honest. We watched Varaždin - Hajduk during the camp. Four of us rooting for Hajduk and one Varaždin fan, Luka Cvetko. We were teasing each other. Well, it's fun, that's what matters."
