Young Croatian Water Polo Players Hunt for Third World Medal in 36 Days

Croatian water polo is experiencing a new golden era, and not just at the senior level. Within just 36 days, young Croatian national teams have won two world medals, and tonight they are aiming for a third, the most prestigious one. After coach Hrvoje Koljanin led the under-19 team to a world title on July 4 in Rio Maior, Portugal, Bruno Sabioni's squad has the chance to repeat that success in Zagreb tonight.

End of the Drought and a New Golden Harvest

For a long time, it seemed that the pool of young talent had run dry. After the silver medal of the under-20 team at the World Championship in Belgrade in 2017, there followed seven long years without a single medal in younger age groups. While the seniors, the popular Barakude, were racking up a world bronze in 2019, a European gold in 2022, and in 2024 a European silver, a world gold, and an Olympic silver, the youth teams were treading water. Numerous questions were raised about club work, selection, and coaching staff.

The turning point came in 2024. Zoran Bajić led the under-19 team to a European gold, with goalkeeper Čubranić, center Tončinić, and outside players Pavlić and Šušić shining-players who are now already part of the senior national team. A year later, in 2025, at the under-20 World Championship right here in Zagreb, Bajić's team, reinforced by Jerković and Ćurković, won the bronze. The "drought" had finally broken.

Sabioni: 'We See Only One Goal'

This year, the young Croatian water polo players are not slowing down. After Koljanin's gold in Portugal, where Skejić, Dragaš, Batoš, Beljan, Rogić, and Burazin shone, Bruno Sabioni took over the baton. He has led his group of young men through the entire tournament in Zagreb, and ahead of tonight's final against Spain, he says there is no room for complacency.

"What I said right after the semifinal and the win over Serbia is that there's no big celebration; we stay firmly grounded, and now we're really going to give absolutely everything we have, everything we possess, everything in this world for that gold,"

Sabioni told Sportske novosti, explaining that the brief celebration after the tough semifinal was natural, but the focus immediately shifted to what matters most.

"I mean, it was natural to celebrate the semifinal win a bit because the match was tough. We were behind for a long time, then we took the lead, then we fell behind again, then we were chasing... But today, we forget everything that happened. We see only one goal, we see only gold,"

added the coach, who has spent a month with this generation, taking on the roles of coach, boss, and even parent.

La Furia on the Path to Historic Gold

The opponent in the final is Spain, a team that has taken a thorny path to the Zagreb final. In the group stage, they beat South Africa 18:5, lost to Greece 8:9, and then routed Poland 22:4 and Singapore 21:7. In the quarterfinals, they defeated Italy 17:14, and in the semifinal against the USA, they staged a real drama. With a minute left, they were two goals down, but they managed to force a penalty shootout and win 17:16.

The age group in which Croatia is fighting for gold tonight has never brought a medal before. Let's recall, the younger generations have had success at under-17 championships: bronze in Malta 2007 and Belgrade 2008, and gold in Crete 2009 and Rijeka 2011. Tonight's medal, regardless of its color, will be the first in this age group at the world level.

Emil Nikolić, coordinator for all younger age groups at the Croatian Water Polo Federation, can be satisfied with the direction things are heading. The goal is clear: to extract two to three players from each generation for the senior team, but when that process is spiced with medals and a winning mentality, the value is priceless. Tonight around 9:30 PM, we will find out whether the young Croatian water polo players will take the final step and confirm that Croatia is truly a world water polo power in all categories.