PHOTO: Croatian Handball Team Back from Beijing

With a the end of the Olympic Games in Beijing, disappointed Croatian handball players returned home. Without a medal, without knowing why.

The Croatian national handball team remained the longest in Beijing, three days after the official end of the Olympic Games. After a long journey which lasted almost 30 hours, some players immediately ran to embrace their dearest as soon as they exited the arrivals terminal at the Zagreb airport. Those who had no one waiting rushed away. 

Collapse in the match for the bronze medal 

The coach of the handball team was not displeased with the overall impression they left at the tournament, but in particular he expressed sadness for the last match of the tournament during which, he said, they collapsed.

- The European champion, the world champion and the world cup finalist are behind us. We made the best result in team sports, we played the semi final and we are the only ones who really caused problems to the Olympic winners. If it were not for the last match it would have been all excellent, even perfect. I am sorry about that, we were washed out and we fell without firing. I feel sadness deep in my soul, of course I wanted to win than medal, the fifth in the pas six year, but I think that we can not speak about disappointment in this case – said Coach Lino Cervar

Life goes on

Croatian player Goran Sprem is also sad for the missed occasion for a medal, but he thinks that they were not a complete disappointment.

- Disappointment is still inside us and it is hard for us to be back without a medal as we were so close, but life will have to go on. We must keep training, you do not live of victory in the clouds, but neither can defeats throw us underground. It is painful to remember those five minutes against France and the second half time against Spain. However, we can not change that anymore and we have to learn a lesson from our mistakes and carry on – Goran Sprem told us.

Although his potential is indisputable and he has still not reached his peak, Domagoj Duvnjak’s performance is one of the brightest in the Croatian team in Beijing.

- I thank that boys for accepting me so well. I am thrilled with the support from the bench, the players on the court and I am grateful to them. I hope there will be more of such competitions and that I will have the occasion to play with them against – Ivano Balic’s talented substitute told us.