Matija Ljubek
Ljubek's grave at Mirogoj Cemetery. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 22 November 1953 Belišće, PR Croatia, FPR 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) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Country | Yugoslavia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Canoeing | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Matija Ljubek (Croatian pronunciation: [ʎǔbek]; 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.