Vlaho Nenadić to Make His Debut at the European Championships in Paris
The young Jug swimmer has completed his final preparations under the watchful eye of coach Frane Ćirak and is ready for his performance on the big stage in Paris.
The young Jug swimmer has completed his final preparations under the watchful eye of coach Frane Ćirak and is ready for his performance on the big stage in Paris.
The Croatian swimming team is eagerly awaiting the start of the European Championships in Paris, and among the 16 swimmers, Vlaho Nenadić has secured his spot. The swimmer from the Jug Swimming Club has completed all necessary preparations and is eagerly anticipating his first appearance at this year's showcase of Europe's best swimmers.
Vlaho's debut at the championship is scheduled for Tuesday morning, when he will compete in the qualifying heats of the 100-meter freestyle. He will be accompanied at this important competition by his coach, Frane Ćirak, who is satisfied with what he has seen during the preparations.
The European Championships in the French capital bring together the best swimmers from the Old Continent, and the Croatian contingent numbers 16 representatives in total. Alongside Nenadić, the Croatian colors will also be defended by numerous other talented swimmers, led by Jere Hribar, who showcased excellent form at the recent European Short Course Championships.
One of the most intriguing assets of the Croatian team is undoubtedly twenty-year-old Maro Miknić, a member of the Nevera Swimming Club and a student at prestigious Harvard University. The Kostrena native will compete in the 50 and 100-meter butterfly events in Paris, and he arrives at his senior debut at the European Championships with clear ambitions.
"My goal is to swim my best times, but I don't want to put pressure on myself with expectations; I want to enjoy the race. We've worked hard during the summer and throughout the season, and I believe everything will be fine," Maro Miknić said for Novi list.
Miknić returned in mid-May from his first year of psychology studies at Harvard, where since last September he has successfully balanced demanding academic obligations with rigorous training. His coach, Andrej Belaić, has closely monitored his progress during the summer preparations, and he is particularly pleased that former Olympian Dominik Straga has joined the preparation team.
"The good news is that Dominik Straga has recently joined us, and his experience complements my coaching. After all, he is a former Olympian who, thanks to his experience from major competitions, can advise me on how to mentally prepare for competition and point out numerous important details," added Miknić.
Dominik Straga is the absolute Croatian record holder in the 100-meter butterfly with a time of 51.42 seconds, set back in 2009. It is precisely this result that the young swimmer from Kostrena aspires to, and he does not hide his long-term ambitions.
"Well, one of my plans for the future is to try to break Straga's record, which first requires me to be at that level to compete with his time, and that is a big desire of mine," emphasized Miknić.
At the last major test before the European Championships, the Golden Bear, Miknić swam the 50-meter butterfly in 24.27 seconds, which is 45 hundredths slower than his personal best. On the double distance, he recorded a time of 53.09 seconds, 60 hundredths above his best result. However, as he himself says, those competitions served solely as training to fine-tune his form for Paris.
Miknić emphasizes that the conditions at Harvard, one of the world's best universities, are incredible. The daily routine, which includes studying and swimming training, often starting at 6 a.m., was challenging, but with excellent cooperation from professors and coaches, as well as support from international students, he quickly adapted.
"It's quite demanding; it took me some time to get used to that pace. The program is such that you need to study every day, so with swimming training, there's really minimal time left for rest," admitted the Nevera swimmer.
After his appearance in Paris, Miknić will also compete at the Mediterranean Games in Taranto, after which he returns to the USA for his second year of studies. Alongside him, the Croatian team in Paris is represented by Amina Kajtaz Pinjo, Jere Hribar, Nikola Miljenić, Luka Cvetko, Božo Puhalović, Vili Sivec, Karlo Perčinić, Niko Janković, Franko Grgić, Filip Mujan, Luka Kmetić, Toni Dragoja, Luka Čarapović, and Rijeka native Meri Mataja, a member of the Kantrida Swimming Club.
"We have a strong team; the European Short Course Championships showed that we have excellent swimmers led by Jere Hribar, from whom we can expect good results in the near future. I hope to be one of the better swimmers at this championship," concluded Miknić.
