MALOBABIC Enjoys Her Rejuvenated ‘Second’ Career

Ivana MALOBABIC of Croatia had a break from the national team from 2001 to 2017. She returned and since then has set new heights in her career.

“I trained and played for my club regularly but I did not play for the national team. In 2017 Croatia invited me to help them in the qualifications for the European Championship and that’s how my second career slowly began ” explained MALOBABIC laughing. “However it wasn’t until after the pandemic that I started playing singles tournaments more seriously.”

Her seriousness is evident with her qualification for the Olympics in Paris 2024. MALOBABIC failed to reach the Games through the European Qualifications in Bosnia and Herzegovina but she achieved this goal thanks to her very good results and a strong position in the ITTF Rankings.

“I am overjoyed to have qualified for the Olympics. Everything started at the European Games in Krakow and I’ve been playing well since then. I am satisfied with the whole season. The only bad luck I had was at the qualifications in Sarajevo where I woke up on the day of departure with a temperature of 38°C. I had the most important tournament in four years and had to fight a double fight with myself and the opponent ” explained Ivana.

However she earned herself a second chance.

“After Sarajevo I played at the WTT in Argentina where I reached the quarterfinals and secured my place in Paris. At the Games I will give my best because the best of the best compete there and a lot will depend on the draw.”

From Ivana we could get “first-hand” info about the youth players preparing for the EYC in Malmö.

“I am currently in the Czech Republic. I have already completed part of the preparations in Zagreb. I am in Havířov at their training center. The boy’s and girl’s national teams of the Czech Republic and Austria are preparing here for the upcoming European Junior Championship in Malmö so I decided to be here as well because the season is slowly ending and it is difficult to find adequate sparring partners.”

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The European Table Tennis Union (ETTU) is the governing body of the sport of table tennis in Europe, and is the only authority recognized for this purpose by the International Table Tennis Federation. The ETTU deals with all matters relating to table tennis at a European level, including the development and promotion of the sport in the territories controlled by its 58 member associations, and the organization of continental table tennis competitions, including the European Championships.

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