Matija Ljubek

Matija Ljubek

Ljubek's grave at Mirogoj Cemetery.
Personal information
Born	22 November 1953 Belišće, Yugoslavia
Died	11 October 2000 (aged 46) Valpovo, Croatia
Resting place	Mirogoj Cemetery, Zagreb
Height	180 cm (5 ft 11 in)
Weight	85 kg (187 lb)
Sport
Country	Yugoslavia
Sport	Canoeing
Medal record Men's Canoe sprint Representing  Yugoslavia Olympic Games 1976 Montréal C-1 1000 m 1976 Montréal C-1 500 m 1984 Los Angeles C-2 500 m 1984 Los Angeles C-2 1000 m World Championships 1975 Belgrade C-1 10000 m 1978 Belgrade C-1 1000 m 1978 Belgrade C-1 10000 m 1981 Nottingham C-1 10000 m 1982 Belgrade C-2 500 m 1982 Belgrade C-2 1000 m 1983 Tampere C-2 500 m 1983 Tampere C-2 1000 m 1985 Mechelen C-2 10000 m 1985 Mechelen C-2 1000 m Mediterranean Games 1979 Split C-1 500 m 1979 Split C-1 1000 m 1979 Split C-2 500 m

Matija Ljubek (22 November 1953 – 11 October 2000) was a Croatian 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 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 metres	3rd (1:59.60)	9th (2:03.43)	& —	& —
C-1 1,000 metres	1st (4:09.51)	8th (4:22.40)	& —	& —
C-2 500 metres	& —	& —	1st (1:43.67)	& —
C-2 1,000 metres	& —	4th (3:51.30)	2nd (3:41.56)	12th (3:59.04)

References

• ICF medalists for Olympic and World Championships - Part 1: flatwater (now sprint): 1936-2007.
• ICF medalists for Olympic and World Championships - Part 2: rest of flatwater (now sprint) and remaining canoeing disciplines: 1936-2007.
• Sports-Reference.com profile
• 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.