Pavao Ružić Wins Historic Silver for Croatia in BC3 Category
Member of Split's 'Sveti Duje' club brought Croatia its first-ever medal in the BC3 category at the World Boccia Challenger in Poznań in just his second senior appearance.
Member of Split's 'Sveti Duje' club brought Croatia its first-ever medal in the BC3 category at the World Boccia Challenger in Poznań in just his second senior appearance.
Great news comes from Poland. Pavao Ružić, a member of the disabled boccia club "Sveti Duje" from Split, has won the silver medal at the Poznań 2026 World Boccia Challenger. This is a historic achievement for Croatian sport, as it is the first medal ever won for Croatia in the BC3 category.
At the competition that brought together 74 athletes from 22 countries, Ružić competed in the individual BC3 event, and his path to the podium was impressive. He finished the group stage in first place with three wins and one loss, which secured his spot in the semifinals.
In the semifinals, he faced the experienced local representative, Poland's Jarosław Plewa. Together with his ramp operator and coach Mate Grčić, Ružić played an excellent match and celebrated a 3:1 victory, thus earning a place in the final. In the gold medal match, Italy's Gabriele Zendron proved better, so the athlete from Omiš took home the silver.
This success is even more significant given that it was only Ružić's second appearance for the senior national team. "I am very happy with the silver medal. Before the competition, I didn't expect a medal. I wanted to take it match by match, give my all, and try to achieve the best possible result," the modest athlete told Dalmacija Danas.
Ružić emphasized that the preparations were demanding. He trained daily with his coach Mate Grčić at the Gripe hall in Split, regularly commuting from his hometown of Omiš. "The competition in Poznań was strong, so this medal means even more to me," he added.
Coach Mate Grčić did not hide his pride: "This is the greatest success of our club. Also, the greatest success of the national team in this category in general, because this is the first medal ever in the BC3 category for the Croatian national team."
Pavao and his coach emphasized to whom they dedicate this great achievement. "We dedicate this medal to our club colleague, friend, and sparring partner Marin Vukušić, who unfortunately passed away a little over a year ago," they said.
In addition to Ružić, Croatia was also represented in Poland by his club colleague Dora Lovrić with ramp operator Branko Lovrić. They did not manage to secure a medal in the individual competition, ending their run after two matches. However, the competition is not over for them-starting today, they, along with Pavao, will compete in the pairs event.
The celebration won't last long. Coach Grčić has already announced new plans: "In just a month, we will compete at a new World Boccia Challenger in Pilsen, Czech Republic. There's not much rest; we start preparations right away. Our goal is to gather as many points as possible and try to secure a spot at the European Championship, which will be held in Genoa next year."
