Matija Ljubek

Matija Ljubek
Ljubek's grave at Mirogoj Cemetery.
Personal information
Born(1953-11-22)22 November 1953
Belišće, PR Croatia, FPR Yugoslavia
Died11 October 2000(2000-10-11) (aged 46)
Valpovo, Croatia
Resting placeMirogoj Cemetery, Zagreb
Height180 cm (5 ft 11 in)
Weight85 kg (187 lb)
Sport
CountryYugoslavia
SportCanoeing
Medal record
Men's canoe sprint
Representing  Yugoslavia
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1976 Montréal C-1 1000 m
Gold medal – first place 1984 Los Angeles C-2 500 m
Silver medal – second place 1984 Los Angeles C-2 1000 m
Bronze medal – third place 1976 Montréal C-1 500 m
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 1978 Belgrade C-1 1000 m
Gold medal – first place 1982 Belgrade C-2 500 m
Gold medal – first place 1983 Tampere C-2 500 m
Gold medal – first place 1985 Mechelen C-2 10000 m
Silver medal – second place 1981 Nottingham C-1 10000 m
Silver medal – second place 1982 Belgrade C-2 1000 m
Silver medal – second place 1985 Mechelen C-2 1000 m
Bronze medal – third place 1975 Belgrade C-1 10000 m
Bronze medal – third place 1978 Belgrade C-1 10000 m
Bronze medal – third place 1983 Tampere C-2 1000 m
Mediterranean Games
Gold medal – first place 1979 Split C-1 500 m
Gold medal – first place 1979 Split C-1 1000 m
Gold medal – first place 1979 Split C-2 500 m

Matija Ljubek (Croatian pronunciation: [ʎǔbek]; 22 November 1953 – 11 October 2000) was a Croatian sprint canoeist who competed in the 1970s and 1980s and later became a sports official.[1]

Born in Belišće, Osijek-Baranja, Ljubek competed in four Summer Olympics where he won four medals. This included two golds (C-1 1000 m: 1976, C-2 500 m: 1984 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 with four golds (C-1 1000 m: 1978, C-2 500 m: 1982, 1983; C-2 10000 m: 1985), three silvers (C-1 10000 m: 1981, C-2 1000 m: 1982, 1985), and three bronzes (C-1 10000 m: 1975, 1978; C-2 1000 m: 1983).

In 1976 he was awarded a Golden Badge award for best athlete of Yugoslavia.

Ljubek later became vice-president of the Croatian Olympic Committee 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, Osijek-Baranja, six days after returning from the 2000 Summer Olympics.

Olympic results

Olympic results
Event 1976 Montreal 1980 Moscow 1984 Los Angeles 1988 Seoul
C-1 500 m 3rd (1:59.60) 9th (2:03.43) — —
C-1 1000 m 1st (4:09.51) 8th (4:22.40) — —
C-2 500 m — — 1st (1:43.67) —
C-2 1000 m — 4th (3:51.30) 2nd (3:41.56) 12th (3:59.04)

References

Footnotes

  1. ^ "Ljubek, Matija". Hrvatska enciklopedija.
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