In a 4-2 victory, France took home the gold in the 2018 FIFA World Cup, leaving Croatia walking away with silver. An incredible feat for a young country like Croatia with just over 4 million people.Texas Tech’s Lady Raider basketball player and Croatian, Tihana Stojsavljevic, agreed.
“We achieved such an amazing success, and we are the smallest country since the 1930’s that qualified for the World Cup final, and I am very proud because we are very humble and this is a great success for us,” said Stojsavljevic. This is true, except for Uruguay who made it to the 1930 and 1950 World Cup final.
Stojsavljevic grew up in Slovanski Brod, a town in Eastern Croatia, where she developed her love for basketball, and the major athletes who inspired her along the way.
“We all dream about major success and everything you work for your entire life to get there. So you give up on certain things in life and you make good choices, and sometimes in your life you are going to be rewarded for that. I believe this is such a great group of people, great group of players. They worked really hard and I think that’s what happened,” she said.
A major athletic icon in Stojsavljevic’s life was Mario Mandžukić, a player for Croatia’s national football team. “He’s very important because basically we all look up to him, I was looking up to him when I was a child,” she said.
The journey to the World Cup Final was an inspiration for everyone in Croatia, according to Stojsavljevic, addressing the hard times her country faced in order to get here.
“We got our independence in the 90’s. So we are such a young country and so many people gave up their lives. One of my best friends lost her father in the war and so many people don’t know where their relatives are due to the war for independence,” she said.
Even though Stojsavljevic could not be home to partake in the World Cup celebrations, she said she’s doing her part for her country and here at Texas Tech.
“It’s very hard because they are there celebrating and it’s a historic event for my country and I’m here practicing… but if you have a really high goal, which I do, then that can make it easy,” she said.
Stosjavljevic represented her nation’s basketball team six years in a row, bringing home the bronze medal in the 2018 European Championships. She said it was a humbling and inspiring feeling to contribute to the success of her country.
“It was one of the most incredible feelings in my life,” she said. “We really gave up a lot to get there so it was really incredible and being an athlete in Croatia is incredible.”
Stosjavljevic and the Lady Raider basketball team will take the court in the fall when their season begins. They are hoping for big crowds this year.
