VRBAS HOSTS EUROPEAN CUP: TRAVAR AND STANKOVIĆ WIN BRONZE MEDALS

The Vrbas Kayak and Canoe Club hosted the third round of the European Cup for juniors and seniors last weekend, with competitors from nine national teams (Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Slovakia, North Macedonia, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Austria, and Bosnia and Herzegovina) battling for medals on the Vrbas River.

PHOTO: ATV

The Vrbas Kayak and Canoe Club competed with a lineup consisting of Aljoša Travar, Anes Šudić, Petar Preradović, Emir Abdihodžić, Neven Kleut, Eliot Filipović, Ilija Kleut, Uroš Travar, and Milica Stanković, achieving notable results.

In the junior category, Uroš Travar won bronze medals in both sprint and classic (downriver), while Milica Stanković also secured a bronze medal in the sprint event.

“I am extremely satisfied with the result. The competition, as always, was very strong, and I showed that I am in good form. These medals are a great motivation for me to continue working. We will keep training and aim to reach even better form ahead of the upcoming World Championship in Banja Luka,” said Travar.

Milica Stanković also expressed her satisfaction.

“I am happy to have won a European medal on my home river. This was another great opportunity to test my form ahead of the World Championship. We are on the right track, and it’s up to us to continue working hard,” said Stanković.

The Vrbas Kayak and Canoe Club is proud of the organization of the European Cup race, having successfully overcome unexpected technical issues just before the competition.

“The water level of the Vrbas River forced us to relocate the race from the Tijesno canyon course to the city section near the Old Mill. However, we managed to organize everything in a short time and successfully complete the race. Once again, we received praise for the organization from officials and competitors. For us, this was a general rehearsal ahead of the World Championship scheduled for the second half of May, and we believe we passed the test successfully. There is no time to rest, as all our focus is now on the final preparations for the World Championship. Our goal is to make it the best one so far, and we hope, with the support promised by the relevant authorities, to achieve that,” said Nikola Stanković, director of the Vrbas Kayak and Canoe Club.

At the Banja Luka European Cup race, the most successful team was Slovenia, whose athletes won a total of 15 medals (5 gold, 7 silver, and 3 bronze). For all participating teams, this event also served as a qualifying competition for the upcoming World Championship.