Croatia storms to European relay Bronze in Paris

Croatia has claimed a superb bronze medal in the men’s 4x100m freestyle relay at the European Swimming Championships in Paris, with Jere Hribar, Vlaho Nenadić, Vili Sivec and Toni Dragoja delivering a sensational performance in the final.

The Croatian quartet was already flying in the morning heats, posting the third-fastest time overall. Their 3:13.06 was a new Croatian record, but the best was yet to come.

In the final, Croatia raised the bar once again, slicing almost two seconds off its qualifying time. The brilliant 3:11.08 was enough to secure the bronze and cap a memorable performance for Croatian swimming.

Hungary took gold in 3:10.03, while the silver went to the Russian swimmers competing as a neutral team, who finished in 3:10.12. Spain, which led for much of the race, ultimately finished fourth in 3:11.91.

The medal ends a decade-long wait for Croatia, marking the country’s first European Championship medal in a 50-metre pool in 10 years. It is also Croatia’s 17th European Championship medal since independence.

For Hribar, the relay triumph came just one day after he set another Croatian record in the individual 100m freestyle. He clocked 47.42 seconds in the final to finish fifth, narrowly missing out on the podium.

Despite the disappointment, Hribar was proud of his performance.

“I'm very happy with my time of 47.42. This is what I trained for and I'm very proud. I got the outside lane and a chance, but my finish wasn't the best.”

Looking back on the relay final, Hribar also highlighted just how fast the race was.

“That was a sick medal time. 46.8 for a medal, that's scary. That's faster than the Olympics.

With a new Croatian record and a European bronze medal already secured, Croatia’s young relay team has given the country plenty to celebrate—and a strong indication that Croatian swimming is once again making its mark on the European stage.