Croatian Anthem Played Seven Times: Zagorje Competitors Shine in France
Croatian national team members won a series of medals in the IAU Classic discipline, with Match Play finals on Saturday offering more opportunities for accolades.
Croatian national team members won a series of medals in the IAU Classic discipline, with Match Play finals on Saturday offering more opportunities for accolades.
From Châteauroux, France, where the European Crossbow Championships (Match & Field) are being held from August 4 to 9, 2026, come excellent news. Croatian representatives are once again demonstrating their quality, with competitors from the Zagorje region particularly standing out, having already collected an impressive number of medals in various categories.
During the award ceremonies in the IAU Classic discipline, the melody of the Croatian anthem rang out no fewer than seven times. For comparison, the French anthem was played three times and the Hungarian twice, which speaks volumes about our team's dominance.
In the cadet competition, Patricija Seljan took silver, finishing just two points behind the leader Veronika Forjan. Lovro Bjelobrk earned bronze, trailing the leader by 18 points. However, the true triumph for the Zagorje team came in the team event. The combination of Patricija Seljan, Veronika Forjan, and Lovro Bjelobrk was unmatched and secured the gold.
The juniors also provided excitement. Lovro Seljan clinched a bronze medal in a tense showdown with France's Zoe Dewicki. Although both hit the same number of points, Lovro prevailed thanks to more accurate shots at the center of the target. Borna Bajser took first place, silver went to Czech Denis Vyskočil, while Antonio Katalenac finished tenth. In the team event, the trio of Seljan, Bajser, and Katalenac earned silver medals.
Mihaela Oborovečki also achieved notable success by winning silver in the individual competition, where she was only surpassed by Valentina Mrnjavčić Pereglin with a two-point lead. Third was Frenchwoman Amelie Pernin, and fourth was Valentina Kozumplik. However, in the team event, no one could match the Croatian representatives. Valentina Mrnjavčić Pereglin, Mihaela Oborovečki, and Valentina Kozumplik together climbed to the top step of the podium.
In the men's competition, Martin Oborovečki finished fourth. The bronze went to Frenchman Arnaud Lhomme, silver to Andrej Krstinić, and the gold medal to Domagoj Pereglin.
After fantastic performances in the IAU Classic, Friday featured Match Play competitions, where our representatives were also extremely successful and secured spots in the finals. Competing for the top honors on Saturday will be Domagoj Pereglin in the men's category, Mihaela Oborovečki in the women's, Borna Bajser in the junior, and Veronika Forjan and Patricija Seljan in the cadet category.
The final day also includes appearances by two mixed Croatian teams. Team CRO 1 consists of Domagoj Pereglin, Borna Bajser, and Veronika Forjan, while CRO 2 features Andrej Krstinić, Mihaela Oborovečki, and Marijan Kajfeš. Martin Oborovečki, Valentina Mrnjavčić Pereglin, and Lovro Bjelobrk will compete for bronze.
It is important to note that behind these outstanding results stands the proven Croatian coaching duo, Damir Oborovečki and Branko Pereglin, who have been guiding our crossbow shooters to European and world heights for years. The bronze and gold matches are scheduled for Saturday morning, and the finals can be watched live on French television.
