Matija Ljubek (; 22 November 1953 – 11 October 2000) was a

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

n sprint canoeist who competed in the 1970s and 1980s and later became a sports official. Born in Belišće, Osijek-Baranja, Ljubek competed in four

Summer Olympics The Summer Olympic Games, also known as the Summer Olympics or the Games of the Olympiad, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inaugural Games took place in 1896 in Athens, then part of the King ...

where he won four medals. This included two golds (C-1 1000 m:

1976 Events January * January 2 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 18 – Full diplomatic ...

, C-2 500 m:

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

with Mirko Nišović), one silver (C-2 1000 m: 1984 with Mirko Nišović), and one bronze (C-1 500 m: 1976). His trainer was Laszlo Hingl. He also won ten medals at the

ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships The ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships are an international event in canoe racing, one of two top-tier Summer Olympic sport events organized by the International Canoe Federation (the other being the ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships). They ...

with four golds (C-1 1000 m:

1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd ...

, C-2 500 m:

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C. ...

1983 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning of the ...

; C-2 10000 m:

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a n ...

), three silvers (C-1 10000 m:

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 6 – A funeral service is held in West Germany for Nazi Grand Admiral ...

, C-2 1000 m: 1982, 1985), and three bronzes (C-1 10000 m:

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 – Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

, 1978; C-2 1000 m: 1983). In

he was awarded a Golden Badge award for best athlete of

Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...

. Ljubek later became vice-president of the

Croatian Olympic Committee The Croatian Olympic Committee (, HOO) is the non-profit organization representing Croatian athletes in the International Olympic Committee. The COC organizes Croatia's representatives at the Summer and Winter Olympic Games. It also organizes the ...

and served as '' chef de mission'' for the Croatian Olympic team. Ljubek died in 2000 when he was shot by an estranged brother-in-law while trying to defend his mother in

Valpovo Valpovo is a town in Slavonia, Croatia. It is close to the Drava river, northwest of Osijek. As of 2021, the population of Valpovo is 7,406, with a total of 11,563 in the municipality. Name In Hungarian the town is known as ''Valpó'' and in ...

, Osijek-Baranja, six days after returning from the

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, officially branded as Sydney 2000, and also known as the Games of the New Millennium, were an international multi-sport event held from 15 September to 1 October ...

Olympic results

References

* * * * * Wallechinsky, David and Jaime Loucky (2008). "Canoeing: Men's Canadian Singles 1000 Meters". In ''The Complete Book of the Olympics: 2008 Edition''. London: Aurum Press Limited. p. 480.

Footnotes

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ljubek, Matija 1953 births 2000 deaths Burials at Mirogoj Cemetery Canoeists at the 1976 Summer Olympics Canoeists at the 1980 Summer Olympics Canoeists at the 1984 Summer Olympics Canoeists at the 1988 Summer Olympics Competitors at the 1979 Mediterranean Games Croatian male canoeists Croatian murder victims Croatian sports executives and administrators Deaths by firearm in Croatia ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships medalists in Canadian Medalists at the 1976 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1984 Summer Olympics Mediterranean Games gold medalists for Yugoslavia Mediterranean Games medalists in canoeing Olympic bronze medalists for Yugoslavia Olympic canoeists for Yugoslavia Olympic gold medalists for Yugoslavia Olympic medalists in canoeing Olympic silver medalists for Yugoslavia People murdered in Croatia Yugoslav male canoeists