Matija Ljubek

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.[1]

Matija Ljubek

Ljubek's grave at Mirogoj Cemetery.
Personal information
Born	(1953-11-22)22 November 1953 Belišće, PR Croatia, FPR Yugoslavia
Died	11 October 2000(2000-10-11) (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

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.