Bloudek makes Croatian athletics history with European silver

Croatian middle-distance runner Marino Bloudek delivered a memorable performance at the European Championships in Birmingham, winning silver in the 800 metres and bringing Croatia a medal in the event for the first time in half a century.

The 27-year-old Croatian record holder was visibly emotional after the race, describing the achievement as a moment that felt as significant as a gold medal.

“It’s a beautiful feeling. I’m full of emotions. I shed tears of joy because after 50 years Croatia has a medal in the 800 metres again. I’m extremely happy, I’m proud of my team, coach, fiancée, manager and everyone who helped make this happen. I truly believed that I could achieve this feat and I proved I can. I never give up and I fought until the very end. Second place, for me this is as good as gold. Congratulations to Mark English, but this is a gold medal for me,” said Bloudek.

Bloudek ran a superb tactical race, taking control of the pace almost from the start and refusing to give ground as the field battled for the medals.

The only athlete able to stay with the Croatian throughout the race was Ireland’s Mark English. English eventually moved past Bloudek to claim the European title, having already set a new European Championship record of 1:43.49 in the semi-final.

The final was considerably slower. English crossed the line in 1:45.26, while Bloudek finished just 0.36 seconds behind in 1:45.62 to secure a historic silver medal for Croatia.

For Bloudek, the result is the biggest achievement of his career and another landmark moment for Croatian athletics. He has now become only the third Croatian runner, and the fifth Croatian athlete overall, to win a medal at the European Championships.

More importantly, his performance ended a 50-year wait for Croatia to return to the European medal podium in the 800 metres - an achievement Bloudek can rightly regard as gold.