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Humans of FSB, Zagreb (2026)

Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture, University of Zagreb

25/05/2026

Mažoretkinje su nastale kao pratnja vojsci u Francuskoj, a sam ples se temelji na zategnutim pokretima, usklađenosti i preciznosti. Iza svakog nastupa i natjecanja stoje sati treninga i pripreme, podjednako fizičke i psihičke, s obzirom na to da se na natjecanjima ocjenjuje apsolutno sve, od samog izgleda pa do detalja pokreta. Kod izgleda se ne misli na osobni izgled, već na izgled i usklađenost uniformi koje su slikovite i najčešće u bojama grada/općine.

U Hrvatskoj mažoretkinje postoje već 30 godina, a u mom Krašiću djeluju 17 godina. Kao mala sam bila pravi zvrk i čim sam saznala za mažoretkinje, odmah sam znala da je to za mene. Od tada su postale velik dio mog života. Natječem se od sedme godine i gotovo svake godine sudjelujem na državnim prvenstvima, a najponosnija sam na srebrnu medalju koju sam osvojila s prijateljicom u duu sa štapovima.

Danas sam već pet godina i trenerica. Radim s juniorima i limačima i premda je s najmlađima ponekad zahtjevnije, upravo mi je to jedno od najljepših iskustava. Mažoretkinje su mi omogućile i da puno putujem, pa sam zahvaljujući njima nastupala na paradama u New Yorku, Šangaju i Londonu. Najviše me oduševio New York, grad koji je toliko velik i čini se kao da nikada ne spava.

Dugo sam se premišljala između medicine i nekog tehničkog područja. Oduvijek su me zanimale prirodne znanosti, ali su me, zahvaljujući bratu, posebno zaintrigirali avioni, automobili, reli i Formula 1. U jednom sam trenutku razmišljala da postanem vojna pilotkinja. Iako sam od toga odustala, ljubav prema tehnologiji i zrakoplovima ostala je jednako velika. Kada sam saznala da Fakultet strojarstva i brodogradnje na diplomskom studiju nudi smjer biomedicinskog inženjerstva, shvatila sam da je to idealan spoj mojih dvaju velikih interesa: medicine i tehnike. Upravo zato FSB za mene predstavlja mjesto na kojem mogu povezati sve ono što me oduvijek privlačilo.

Matea Grgas, studentica

Priča/Story: Vanda Žauhar-Henezi
Slika/Photo: Ines Dedeić

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Majorettes trace their origins back to the French military, evolving into the dance characterized by sharp movements, synchronization, and precision. Every performance and competition is the result of both intense physical and mental preparation, since in competition absolutely every detail matters, from the overall appearance down to the smallest details of each movement. In this context, appearance does not refer to personal looks, but rather to the design and coordination of the uniforms, which are colourful and most often reflect the colours of the city or municipality.

The majorette tradition in Croatia spans over 30 years, including 17 years of active history in my hometown of Krašić. As a child, I was always full of energy, and as soon as I discovered majorettes, I knew it was the perfect fit for me. Since then, they have become a significant part of my life. I began competing at the age of seven and have participated in national championships almost every year. I am especially proud of the silver medal I won with my friend in a baton duo performance.

For the past five years, I have expanded my role to coach junior and younger age groups. Although working with the youngest children brings its own set of unique challenges, it is also one of the most rewarding experiences. Majorettes have given me the opportunity to travel extensively, and thanks to them I have performed in parades in New York City, Shanghai, and London. I was most impressed by New York, a city so vast that it feels as though it never sleeps.

For a long time, I was torn between medicine and a technical field. I have always been interested in the natural sciences, but thanks to my brother, I became especially fascinated by airplanes, cars, rally racing, and Formula One. At one point, I even considered becoming a military pilot. Although I eventually chose a different path, my passion for technology and aviation remained just as strong. When I learned that the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture offers a graduate program in Biomedical Engineering, I realized it perfectly combined my two greatest interests: medicine and engineering. That is why FSB represents the perfect place for me to bring together everything that has always inspired me.

Matea Grgas, student

11/05/2026

U industriji elektromobilnosti izgradio sam ime tijekom godina rada i iskustva. Ključni recentni trenutak bio je kada mi se javio slovački investitor s vizijom širenja kompanije u kojoj su svi fokusirani na isti cilj: razvoj elektromobilnosti. Tako sam pokrenuo Greenway u Hrvatskoj i započeo sa skaliranjem strateške infrastrukture punjenja električnih vozila.

Moj put vodio je od prve prakse u Ekonergu, gdje me mentorica Snježana zainteresirala za kružnu ekonomiju, do rada u Energetskom institutu Hrvoje Požar. Ondje sam se počeo pitati: Ako imamo rješenja za industriju i zgradarstvo, što je s prometom? Oduševila me jedna studija iz 2010. koja je zaključila da je budućnost prometa upravo elektromobilnost.

Predložili smo tadašnjoj gradskoj upravi izradu studije o uvođenju elektromobilnosti u Zagrebu. Prihvatili su, radio sam na tome godinu dana i ubrzo potom izašla je vijest da grad Zagreb pokreće prvu punionicu ‒ u trenutku kada je u Hrvatskoj bilo svega 7 električnih automobila. Radio sam kratko kao konzultant, a zatim i na projektu prodaje električne energije u Hrvatskom Telekomu. S obzirom na to da me i dalje vukla elektromobilnost, predložio sam upravi HT-a da postanemo prvi telekom koji će postavljati punionice po Hrvatskoj. Prve punionice prodali smo Splitsko-dalmatinskoj županiji. Nakon toga je uslijedila hrpa zainteresiranih poziva, pa smo projekt uspješno proširili i na ostale zemlje.

Zanimljivo je da sam stavio vlastiti broj telefona na punionice i rješavao korisničke probleme 24/7 kako bih doznao sve probleme i upite. Od toga sam zatim uspio složiti skriptu od 10 pitanja i odgovora koji rješavaju 90 posto problema.

FSB je za mene bio svojevrstan bootcamp, mjesto koje te nauči razumjeti svijet u više dimenzija. Sve kreće od fizike i prirodnih zakona, a tek kasnije to nadograđuješ kroz ekonomiju i biznis, koji su ipak ljudski konstrukt. Strojarstvo me oblikovalo kroz preciznost, fokus i poštivanje rokova, a energetika mi je dala širinu: sposobnost da stvari gledam sustavno i povezano. I baš iz takva okružja dolaze i najspontanije odluke. Sjedim tako jedan dan s ekipom u SKA-i preko p**a faksa, pijemo kavu i dogovaramo apsolventsku. U tom trenutku stiže poziv iz IAESTE-a: “Ima još jedno mjesto za praksu u Brazilu, jesi za?” Nisam morao puno razmišljati. I tako sam, umjesto na jedrilici na Jadranu, završio na drugom kontinentu. Ondje sam radio u istraživačkom institutu, u tri mjeseca pohvatao portugalski i ušao u potpuno drukčiji svijet.

Brazil je poseban, od činjenice da se voze na šećernu trsku do toga koliko te brzo nauči prilagodbi. Cimer koji me ugostio jednom je bio otet. Ubacili su ga u auto, uzeli tenisice i izbacili van. I to ti odjednom postane dio realnosti. Naučiš da se ondje tijekom noći ne staje na crveno i da ne hodaš sa skupocjenim stvarima.

Takva iskustva te promijene. Shvatiš da se osobni razvoj ne događa u sigurnoj zoni, nego kad si izložen nepoznatom i kad se moraš snaći. Zato bih mladima uvijek preporučio: Idite, putujte, izložite se drukčijem, riskirajte. Otiđite nekamo gdje se ne možete osloniti na sustav nego na sebe. Jer na kraju, ne gradimo se kroz ekrane i taj neki 2D svijet, nego kroz stvarne doživljaje: kroz ljude, osjećaje, mjesta, mirise, zvukove. Tu zapravo počinje pravo iskustvo.

Dino Novosel, alumnus

Priča/Story: Ana Lipovac
Slika/Photo: Ines Dedeić

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I have built a name for myself in the electromobility industry through years of work and experience. A key recent milestone was when a Slovak investor approached me with a vision of expanding a company where everyone was focused on the same goal: the development of electromobility. That's how I launched Greenway in Croatia and began scaling strategic charging infrastructure for electric vehicles.

My journey started with my first internship at Ekonerg, where my mentor Snježana sparked my interest in the circular economy, and continued at the Hrvoje Požar Energy Institute. There, I began to ask myself: if we have solutions for industry and buildings, what about transport? I was inspired by a 2010 study that concluded the future of transport lies in electromobility.

We proposed to the city administration at the time that we prepare a study on the introduction of electromobility in Zagreb. They accepted, I worked on it for a year, and soon after the news came out: the City of Zagreb was launching its first charging station, at a time when there were only seven electric cars in Croatia. I worked briefly as a consultant, and then on an electricity sales project at Hrvatski Telecom (HT). Still drawn to electromobility, I suggested to the HT management that we become the first telecom to install charging stations in Croatia. We sold the first charging stations to Split-Dalmatia County. After that, interest snowballed, and we successfully expanded the project into other countries.

Interestingly, I put my own phone number on the charging stations and personally handled customer issues 24/7 in order to identify all the problems and enquiries. From that experience, I managed to compile a script of 10 questions and answers that resolved 90% of user issues.

FSB was a kind of bootcamp for me, a place that teaches you to understand the world in multiple dimensions. Everything starts with physics and natural laws, and only later do you build on that through economics and business, which are, after all, human constructs. Mechanical engineering shaped me through precision, focus, and meeting deadlines, while energy engineering gave me breadth: the ability to view things systematically and coherently. And it is precisely from such an environment that the most spontaneous decisions emerge. One day, I was sitting with the team at SKA café across from the college, having coffee and planning my final year. At that moment, I got a call from IAESTE: "There's another internship in Brazil, are you up for it?" I didn't have to think long. So, instead of sailing in the Adriatic, I ended up on another continent. There, I worked at a research institute, picked up Portuguese within three months, and stepped into a completely different world.

Brazil is unique, from the fact that their vehicles run on sugar cane to how quickly it teaches you adaptability. The roommate who hosted me had once been kidnapped. They threw him in a car, took his sneakers and threw him out. Suddenly, that becomes part of your reality. You learn that at night you don't stop at red lights, and you don't walk around with expensive items.

Experiences like that change you. You realize that personal growth doesn't happen in your comfort zone – it happens when you're exposed to the unknown and forced to find your way. That's why I would always recommend to young people: go, travel, expose yourself to something different, take risks. Go somewhere where you cannot rely on the system, but only on yourself. Because in the end, we don't build ourselves through screens and that two-dimensional world, but through real experiences: through people, feelings, places, smells, and sounds. That's where the real experience truly begins.

Dino Novosel, alumnus

27/04/2026

Početci i odrastanje u Zlatnoj dolini duboko su odredili moj profesionalni put. S poštovanjem se sjećam autoritativnih učitelja iz područne škole u Gradcu i profesorica matematike u Pleternici, koje su usadile važne temelje u mojim najranijim školskim danima. Srednju elektrotehničku školu pohađao sam u Požegi, a kao djeca rođena sedamdesetih, rano smo naučili biti samostalni, disciplinirani i organizirani. Majka mi je bila poseban uzor i poticaj u svemu. Radilo se mnogo od djetinjstva: čim bi nastava završila, odlazili smo „u nadnicu“ na poljoprivredna dobra kod Kutjeva i Pleternice. Od zarađenih dnevnica kupovali smo knjige, školski pribor ili odjeću za novu školsku godinu, a ponekad i bicikl.

Bili smo iznimno inovativni u slobodno vrijeme. Sami smo izrađivali košarkaške obruče, nogometne golove, splavi, pa čak i drvene flipere s oprugama i čavlima. Sjećam se da je moj bratić iz Australije plakao jer u avion nije mogao ponijeti fliper koji sam osobno izradio. Uz rad, nogomet je bio moja velika strast. Igrajući za „Slaviju“ iz Pleternice, prošao sam Slavoniju uzduž i poprijeko, igrajući jake utakmice od Nove Gradiške do Vukovara. Zahvaljujući fizičkim predispozicijama i disciplini, dvaput sam bio prvak svih požeških srednjih škola u trčanju.

Taj športski duh i izdržljivost prenio sam i na studij. Na strojarstvo sam se upisao 1990. u Slavonskom Brodu, no nakon dvije godine prešao sam na FSB u Zagreb jer sam se želio upisati na usmjerenje termotehnika. Diplomirao sam za nešto više od četiri i pol godine, paralelno radeći fizičke poslove, poput građevine, kako bih se financirao.

Znanstvenu karijeru na FSB-u započeo sam u ljeto 1995., usmjerivši se na područje rashladnih uređaja i dizalica topline. Na Fakultetu sam prije dvadesetak godina pokrenuo istraživanja u propulzivnom području dizalica topline te sam vodio provedbu više znanstvenoistraživačkih projekata i uspostavu laboratorijskih postava.

Danas, nakon 30 godina rada na Fakultetu, posebno sam ponosan na međunarodnu suradnju. Na poziv profesora Željka Ivezića riješili smo problem s hlađenjem kamere opservatorija „Vera Rubin“, najvećega na svijetu. Također, na poziv profesora Andreja Kitanovskog sa Sveučilišta u Ljubljani, zajedno s kolegom Lukom Bobanom dio sam tima uglednih znanstvenika koji je objavio rad u prestižnom časopisu Nature Energy (IF 60,1), što je prvi takav uspjeh za autore s FSB-a. U radu je analiziran potencijal primjene i razvoja visokotemperaturnih industrijskih dizalica topline, temeljenih na procesima u čvrstom stanju i plinskim procesima. Proces je trajao dvije godine i uključivao čak pet krugova recenzija, no konačan rezultat potvrdio je izvrsnost tima.

Mentorirao sam oko 130 završnih i diplomskih radova, nastojeći teme povezati s realnim problemima u industriji. Volim studente uključiti u stvarne projekte i "baciti u vatru" kako bi stekli samopouzdanje i vještine potrebne privredi. Trenutačno vodim projekt ThermalSafeBAT za hlađenje baterija električnih vozila, za koji su prošle jeseni moje studentice dobile Rektorovu nagradu.
Slobodno vrijeme provodim aktivno, prateći djecu na utakmice i natjecanja. I danas cijenim jednostavnost i tradiciju: redovit sam posjetitelj tržnice Trešnjevka, a uživam i u vlastitoj proizvodnji domaće hrane, koju rado podijelim s prijateljima.

Studentima bih poručio da budu motivirani, grade samopouzdanje i maksimalno apsorbiraju znanje. U radu su temelj povjerenje i obostrano poštovanje.

Vladimir Soldo, redoviti profesor u trajnom izboru

Priča/Story: Lovro Olivier
Slika/Photo: Ines Dedeić

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My early years and upbringing in the Golden Valley profoundly shaped my professional path. I remember with respect the authoritative teachers from the local school in Gradac and the mathematics teachers in Pleternica, who laid important foundations during my earliest school days. I attended the electrotechnical high school in Požega, and as children born in the seventies, we learned early to be independent, disciplined, and organised. My mother was a special role model and a constant source of encouragement. We worked hard from childhood; as soon as school ended, we would do seasonal day labour on agricultural estates near Kutjevo and Pleternica. From our wages, we bought books, school supplies, or clothes for the new school year, and sometimes even a bicycle.

We were extremely inventive in our free time. We made our own basketball hoops, football goals, rafts, and even wooden pinball machines with springs and nails. I remember my cousin from Australia crying because he couldn't take a pinball machine I had made onto the plane. Alongside work, football was my great passion. Playing for "Slavija" from Pleternica, I travelled across Slavonia, playing tough matches from Nova Gradiška to Vukovar. Thanks to my physical abilities and discipline, I was twice the champion of all high schools in Požega in running.

I carried that sporting spirit and endurance into my studies. I enrolled in Mechanical Engineering in Slavonski Brod in 1990, but after two years, I transferred to the FSB in Zagreb because I wanted to enrol in the thermal engineering major. I graduated in just over four and a half years, while simultaneously doing physical jobs, such as construction, to support myself financially.

I began my scientific career at the FSB in the summer of 1995, focusing on refrigeration and heat pumps. About twenty years ago at the Faculty, I initiated research in the field of heat pumps and led several scientific research projects and the establishment of laboratory setups.

Today, after 30 years of work at the Faculty, I am particularly proud of international collaborations. At the invitation of Prof. Željko Ivezić, we solved the problem of cooling the camera for the "Vera Rubin" observatory, the largest in the world. Also, at the invitation of Prof. Andrej Kitanovski from the University of Ljubljana, together with my colleague Luka Boban, I am part of a team of distinguished scientists who published a paper in the prestigious journal "Nature Energy" (IF 60.1), the first such achievement for authors from the FSB. The paper analysed the potential application and development of high-temperature industrial heat pumps based on solid-state and gas processes. The process lasted two years and included five rounds of peer review, but the final result confirmed the team's excellence.

I have mentored about 130 final and diploma theses, always striving to link the topics with real industrial problems. I like to involve students in real projects and "throw them into the fire" so they can gain the confidence and skills needed by industry. I am currently leading the "ThermalSafeBAT" project for cooling electric vehicle batteries, for which my students received the Rector's Award last fall.

I spend my free time actively, following my children to matches and competitions. Even today, I value simplicity and tradition; I am a regular visitor to the Trešnjevka market, and I enjoy producing my own homemade food, which I gladly share with friends.
My message to students is to stay motivated, build confidence, and absorb as much knowledge as possible. In work, the foundations are trust and mutual respect.

Vladimir Soldo, full professor with tenure

30/03/2026

Kao mlađa stalno sam imala osjećaj da negdje postoji nešto što propuštam (klinci bi danas to nazvali “FOMO”). To me tjeralo da konstantno istražujem i tražim nove hobije i aktivnosti poput karatea, pilatesa, kazališta, dramskih radionica, učenja jezika...

U srednjoj školi ta znatiželja dobila je jasniji smjer. Uključila sam se u niz različitih projekata koji su me usmjerili da djelujem i pridonosim svojoj lokalnoj zajednici. Isti ti projekti omogućili su mi nešto najljepše – putovanja. Zahvaljujući takvom angažmanu, imala sam priliku posjetiti više od trideset država. Dio studija provela sam u Granadi, a prvu priliku za profesionalni staž dobila sam u Bruxellesu, u uredu slovačkoga zastupnika u Europskom parlamentu. To iskustvo omogućilo mi je potpuno novi pogled na međunarodnu politiku i rad europskih institucija. Nakon toga sam radila u Organizaciji za europsku sigurnost i suradnju u Beču, a potom i u Srednjoeuropskoj inicijativi u Trstu. Iako ste to čuli bezbroj p**a i može zvučati kao klišej, život u različitim državama neizmjerno me obogatio.

Dan prije nego što je Italija potpuno zatvorila svoje granice zbog pandemije bolesti COVID-19, iz Trsta sam došla u Zagreb k tadašnjem dečku (današnjem suprugu), s malim koferom i stvarima za tjedan dana ‒ i ostala živjeti tu, sada već punih šest godina. Ubrzo nakon dolaska u Zagreb, vidjela sam natječaj za posao na FSB-u i odlučila se prijaviti. S inženjerstvom ranije nisam imala nikakve veze. Budući da sam pravnica, većina ljudi u mom okružju su društvenjaci. Dok društvenjaci ponekad mogu unedogled raspravljati i komplicirati, na FSB-u sam otkrila nešto što mi se jako svidjelo – “inženjerski” način razmišljanja i pristupa, pragmatičan, izravan i učinkovit.

No, budući da sam kao mlađa često glumila, jako mi je nedostajala moja kreativna strana. To me ponukalo da prije dvije godine pokrenem svoj mali projekt na društvenim mrežama – nazvala sam ga La Césara (lako se poveže s prezimenom, zar ne?). Ideja je bila dijeliti jednu misao svaki dan, i na taj način još jednom istaknuti koliko riječi i poezija mogu biti važne.

Dvije godine nakon prve objave, na mojim je društvenim mrežama više od 140 tisuća ljudi, što mi je i danas prilično šokantno. Kao i na kazališnoj pozornici, tu više nisam Darija. Moj alter ego preuzima glavnu riječ i daje mi apsolutnu slobodu da budem neka druga verzija sebe.

Svi u sebi nosimo dvije strane – racionalnu i kreativnu. Jedna nas drži stabilnima, druga nas čini živima. Život nas ponekad usiše u svoju dnevnu rutinu, ali važno je ne zaboraviti svoju kreativnu stranu. Vjerujem da ćemo, tek kad su razum i duša u ravnoteži, osjetiti da smo zaista na pravom mjestu.

Darija Sesar Petrić, financijska voditeljica projekta
Priča/Story: Iva Đukić
Slika/Photo: Filip Sviben

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When I was younger, I always had the feeling that there was something I was missing out on (what kids today might call “FOMO”). This led me to constantly explore and seek out new hobbies and activities like karate, pilates, theatre, drama workshops, language learning...

In high school, this curiosity took on a clearer direction. I got involved in a number of different projects that encouraged me to take action and contribute to my local community. The same projects allowed me to do something wonderful – travel. Through this engagement, I had the opportunity to visit more than thirty countries. I spent part of my studies in Granada, and I got my first professional internship opportunity in Brussels, in the office of the Slovak representative in the European Parliament. This experience provided me with a completely new perspective on international politics and the functioning of European institutions. After that, I worked at the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe in Vienna, and then at the Central European Initiative in Trieste. Although you have heard it countless times and it may sound like a cliché, living in different countries has enriched me immensely.

The day before Italy completely closed its borders due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I travelled from Trieste to Zagreb to stay with my then boyfriend (now husband), bringing only a small suitcase and enough belongings for a week, and stayed there for six years now. Shortly after arriving in Zagreb, I came across a job advertisement at FSB and decided to apply. I had no previous experience with engineering. Since I studied law, most of the people around me deal with social sciences. While people with a background in social sciences can sometimes discuss and complicate things endlessly, at FSB I discovered something that I really liked – an “engineering” approach and way of thinking; pragmatic, direct and efficient.

However, since I was frequently involved in acting when I was younger, I really missed my creative side. This motivated me to start my own small project on social media two years ago – I called it “La Césara” (it's easy to relate to my surname, right?). The idea was to share one thought each day, and in this way emphasise once again how important words and poetry can be.

Two years after the first post, I have over 140,000 followers on my social media, which is still quite shocking to me. Much like on stage, I'm no longer Darija. My alter ego takes over and gives me absolute freedom to be a different version of myself.

We all possess two sides – the rational and the creative. One provides stability, while the other one makes us feel alive. Daily routines can easily absorb us, but it is important not to forget our creative side. I believe that only when reason and soul are in balance can we feel that we are truly in the right place.

Darija Sesar Petrić, financial project manager

16/03/2026

Od kontaktnih sportova rano sam morao odustati zbog zdravstvenih razloga, pa sam se upisao na plivanje na Mladosti, gdje sam trenirao šest godina. Poslije sam počeo trenirati i badminton. Bilo je to vrlo zanimljivo iskustvo – badminton je zahtjevan i izazovan sport koji traži eksplozivnost i izdržljivost. Nakon nekog vremena shvatio sam da to ipak nije za mene. Htio sam nešto novo, nešto što će mi biti veći izazov.

Profesorica je meni i ostalim dečkima iz razreda predložila da se upišemo u veslački klub. Europska unija financirala je članarine pa smo mogli besplatno trenirati u teretani i upoznati se sa sportom – s kajak/kanu slalomom na divljim vodama. To je sport sličan slalomu na skijama. U početku svi krećemo s kajakom kako bismo se upoznali sa svim osnovnim tehnikama. Najvažnije je bilo osloboditi se straha od vode. Za razliku od kajakaša, kanuisti kleče u čamcu i koriste se jednim veslom. Sporiji su, ali njihovo je kretanje elegantnije i tehnički zahtjevnije. Riječ je o iznimno dinamičnom sportu koji podiže adrenalin. Dok veslam, moram se potpuno isključiti – sve drugo postaje nevažno, a jedino o čemu razmišljam jest voda oko mene. Potrebno je stopiti se s prirodom i postati jedno s vodom, jer protiv nje se ne može, voda je uvijek jača. To je igra centimetara i sekunda u kojima odlučuješ kada ćeš udahnuti, kada se pomaknuti.

Ekipa s kojom sam trenirao bila je odlična. Uvijek smo se međusobno podupirali i zajedno putovali na natjecanja diljem Europe. U klubu sam trenirao i s našim olimpijcem Matijom Marinićem. Bilo mi je veliko nadahnuće gledati njegov napredak i dokaz da je moguće uspjeti i u zemlji koja nema razvijene staze za ovaj sport. Zahvaljujući njegovim sve boljim rezultatima, više se ulagalo u naš klub, pa smo i mi dobivali više prilika pokazati što možemo.

Pohađao sam strojarsku tehničku školu. Srećom, imao sam susretljivu razrednicu koja me podupirala na natjecanjima i opravdavala izostanke. Možda u svakom trenutku nisam bio najbrži, ali uvijek sam davao sve od sebe, što se naposljetku i pokazalo. Na Europskom natjecanju u Sloveniji osvojio sam zlatnu medalju. Tijekom godina branio sam titulu državnog prvaka i viceprvaka u raznim disciplinama. Na Fakultet strojarstva i brodogradnje upisao sam se zato što želim raditi nešto konkretno, stvarati i biti u pokretu, a ne sjediti za stolom. Zanimaju me strojevi i način na koji ljudi dolaze do ideja te ih pretvaraju u patente. Znao sam da se upisujem na zahtjevan fakultet i da ću morati nešto žrtvovati. Zbog loše situacije u klubu donio sam odluku da se moram odvojiti od veslanja. Ipak, nisam odustao od sporta – balans mora postojati. Odlučio sam trenirati samostalno, bez kluba. Trenutačno se pripremam za Ironman triatlon. Svakodnevno trčim, često plivam i vozim bicikl, a pripremam se i za polumaraton. Sport i trening su mi u životu uvijek nagrada.

Svojim kolegama poručio bih da se ne zadržavaju previše u prošlosti. Uvijek treba gledati naprijed, a u najtežim trenutcima okrenuti se sportu. U svemu što radimo važno je ne uspoređivati se s drugima, nego nastojati biti barem malo bolja verzija sebe od one jučerašnje.

Luka Vojnović, student
Priča/Story: Iva Đukić
Slika/Photo: Ines Dedeić

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Due to health reasons, I had to give up contact sports early on, so I enrolled in swimming at Mladost, where I trained for six years. Later, I also started training in badminton. It was a very interesting experience – badminton is a demanding and challenging sport that requires explosiveness and endurance. After a while, I realized it wasn’t for me. I wanted something new, something that would present a bigger challenge for me.

My teacher suggested to me and the other boys in my class that we join a rowing club. The European Union financed the membership fees, so we could train in the gym for free and get to know the sport – whitewater kayak/canoe slalom. It is a sport similar to ski slalom. In the beginning, we all start with a kayak to get familiar with all the basic techniques. The most important thing was getting over the fear of the water. Unlike kayakers, canoeists kneel in a boat and use a single-bladed paddle. They are slower, but their movement is more elegant and technically more demanding. It is an extremely dynamic sport that provides a true adrenalin rush. While rowing, I have to completely switch off – everything else becomes unimportant, and the only thing I think about is the water around me. You need to merge with nature and become a part of the water’s own path because you can't fight it, the water is always stronger. It's a game of centimetres and seconds where you decide when to breathe, when to move.

The team I trained with was great. We always supported each other and travelled together to competitions all over Europe. At the club, I also trained with our Olympian, Matija Marinić. It was a great inspiration for me to watch his progress and proof that it is possible to succeed even in a country that lacks developed tracks for this sport. Thanks to his increasingly better results, more was invested in our club, giving us more opportunities to show what we could do.

I attended a mechanical engineering technical school. Luckily, I had a supportive class teacher who backed me during competitions and excused my absences. I may not have always been the fastest, but I always gave my best, which eventually showed. At the European Competition in Slovenia, I won a gold medal. Over the years, I defended my titles as both national champion and runner-up across various disciplines. I enrolled in the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture because I want to do something hands-on, to create and be on the move, rather than just sit at a desk. I am interested in machines and the way people come up with ideas and turn them into patents. I knew that I was enrolling in a demanding faculty and that I would have to make sacrifices. Due to the bad situation in the club, I made the decision to give up rowing. However, I did not give up on sports entirely – there must be a balance. I decided to train on my own, without a club. I am currently preparing for the Ironman triathlon. I run every day, swim and bike frequently, and I am also training for a half marathon. For me, sport and training have always been a reward in life.

I would like to tell my colleagues not to dwell too much on the past. You should always look forward, and in the most difficult moments, turn to sport. In everything we do, it is important not to compare ourselves to others, but to strive to be just a slightly better version of ourselves than we were yesterday.

Luka Vojnović, student

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Zagreb

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