The first crew of the Banja Luka-based Dajak Club claimed victory in the overall standings of the Euro Cup competition “Branko Štulić Memorial,” held this weekend on the Vrbas River.
On the second day of the competition, the Banja Luka team placed second in the downriver discipline, which was enough in terms of points to secure the champion’s trophy in the general ranking. The event also served as a final test ahead of the upcoming European Championship in Bulgaria, where the team expects a strong result.
“Today we experimented with some changes in boat positions to test tactical ideas for the European Championship in Bulgaria at the end of June. We’ve now confirmed what works best in each position, and we’ll apply that in Bulgaria. We hope to prove we are rightfully the best in the world in the masters category and very close to the podium in the open category,” said Dragan Babić, captain of Dajak Club’s first rafting crew.
The rafting team from KKK “Končar” in Zagreb won the downriver and head-to-head (H2H) disciplines at the Branko Štulić Memorial. Team captain Tomislav Hohnjec expressed satisfaction with their performance, emphasizing the competition’s role in their preparations for upcoming events.
“We did great in the downriver and H2H. A few small mistakes made the difference in slalom. We used this competition to fine-tune our form for the junior world championship in Slovenia, while the senior team heads to Argentina,” Hohnjec stated.
The crew from the Bulgarian rafting club “Water Line” secured third place in the overall Euro Cup standings on the Vrbas River. As hosts of the upcoming European Championship, they valued the opportunity to measure strength and skill against the continent’s top teams.
“We’re hosting the European Championship in late June, and this was a chance to test some options ahead of our biggest event of the year. We’re pleased with the results, and we’re heading home with a trophy, so we’ve achieved our goal,” said team captain Aleksandar Viktorov.
The competition also served as a good test for the women’s rafting team from “Končar” Zagreb, according to team captain Sara Malić.
“We’re here to gain as much training and experience as possible before the races ahead. We usually train on Jarun and Cetina, but we also come to Vrbas. The river is excellent, nearby, and once again you’ve proven to be great hosts,” said Malić.
The Euro Cup event “Branko Štulić Memorial” has been traditionally organized on the Vrbas River in late May or early June in memory of Branka Štulić, the beloved captain of RK Kanyon, who tragically died 15 years ago in Val di Sole, Italy.
Source: RTRS
