Zagreb, May 11, 2024 - An athletic race was held at the Sports and Recreation Center Jarun in Zagreb, marking the International Olympic Day in Croatia. The event, impeccably organized by the Croatian Olympic Academy, saw the participation of 527 participants, who either ran or walked the 6-kilometer route around Lake Jarun.
In addition to recreational participants, numerous athletes attended the event, led by the ambassador of the Croatian Olympic Committee's campaign for the Paris Olympics, marathon Olympian Matea Parlov Koštro, and winter Olympian in cross-country skiing, Tena Hadžić. Alongside them, future Olympians, rowers Anton and Patrik Lončarić, were also actively involved in warming up for the race with Renata Sopek, and the celebrated water polo Olympian Dubravko Šimenc was present. Adding further excitement to the race was the Embassy of the Republic of France in Croatia, led by Ambassador Fabien Fieschi.
Addressing all present before the race's start, the director of the Croatian Olympic Academy, Saša Ceraj, highlighted an interesting coincidence: "76 days before the Olympic Games in Paris, a reminder of the 76th anniversary of this event is being held."
The French Ambassador to Croatia, H.E. Fabien Fieschi, addressed the gathering at Lake Jarun in Croatian:
"I would like to thank the Croatian Olympic Academy and the Croatian Olympic Committee for organizing this event, which also involves several employees of the Embassy of the Republic of France in Zagreb. The event is directly related to the Olympic Games, hosted by Paris and other cities. The motto of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games is 'Games Wide Open,' which is a clear sign that the event is open to everyone, whether they are competitors or visitors, Olympians or Paralympians. I wish all Croatian Olympians and Paralympians a successful performance at the Games in Paris!"
Although the result was secondary for everyone, in the competitive part of the race, the Croatian Olympic Academy awarded the top three male and female runners. In the women's competition, the fastest were Tea Faber and Tena Hadžić, and Mirta Pehnec, while in the men's competition, it was Antonio Pavliš, Eugen Škvorčević, and Petar Petrić.
