Kvasina proud ahead of Croatia's Olympic cycling debut
By Jean-François Quénet in Beijing, China Perutnina's Matija ౠKvasina will make his Olympic Games...
By Jean-François Quénet in Beijing, China
Perutnina's Matija Kvasina will make his de🏅but this weekend, as Croatia's first Olympic cyclist. Created in 1990, after the division of Yugoslavia, Cr꧅oatia didn't have anyone to line-up at the Barcelona Olympic Games in 1992.
"After the war, cycling didn't exist anymore in Croatia, we all staꦬrted from zero," said the 27 year-𓂃old from Zagreb.
It's only recently that Croatia has produced professional riders. The rise in the countr💧y's cycling activities saw it score enough points 🌃in last year's European Tour to qualify for three Olympic places.
The first one was designated to Vladimir Miholjevic (Liquigas), who doesn't score European Tour points as he rides for a ProTour team. "He's the number [one rider] and he has done a lot for cycling 🗹in Crꩵoatia," said Kvasina, who was one of the six point scorers who contributed to earning the nation's Olympic berths.
K🌸vasina's Perutnina team-mate Radoslav Rogina, who finished 20th at the UCI World Championship in Stuttgart, Germany last year, fills the third Olympic spot. All three riders knew about th𒊎eir Olympic qualification at the end of September, 2007.
"We might be a small cycling nation, but since we are at the Olympic village now, we all dream of a medal," said Kvas💜ina. "We sleep in the same conditions as some ಞof the biggest sports stars in the world, so why not dream?"
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The Croatians have good reason to dream, after all Portugal's Sergio Paulinho's silver medal in Athens, Greece, four years was a huge surprise to most. While training on Tuesday Kvasina met the Russian squad at the vꦍillage, said hello to Spain's gold medal contender Alejandro Valverde and gave direction to Jens Voigt, who got lost.
"At the restauraಞnt I saw Rafael Nadal, but he didn't have five minutes to eat because so many athletes wanted to have their ph💮oto taken with him," laughed the Croatian.
As a national champion for time trial, Kvasina will also take part in the Olympic timܫe trial event next week. "It's just to represent my country and show that we are here," he said.
Kvasina took three top 10 finishes in a row ไat the Tour de l'Avenꦅir and won this year's Tour of Serbia, but is yet to receive a start with a big team.