European Youth league
The European Youth League Finals took place in the Hungarian capital from 10-12 October. After the qualification rounds in Bologna, a team of young air rifle shooters Maksimilijan Žarić, Lana Kužnik, Gal Potrč and Nika Skubic qualified for the competition in Budapest as the winner of the Western European region.
The semi-finals were held on Friday and Saturday, and the final on Sunday. The young Slovenian team remained undefeated in all the semi-final matches (they competed against teams from Croatia, Denmark, Estonia and Austria) and with 4 wins qualified for Sunday's final, where the winner of the second group, Italy, awaited them. The match was extremely tense and a good workout for the nerves, as the teams were evenly matched until the last shots, when the Slovenian team showed incredible composure, maturity and competitiveness to win the gold medal and the title of European Youth League winners. Once again, they proved why they are currently among the top of the European youth shooting sports.
Gal Potrč, the current European Junior Champion, was a member of the Slovenian team and said, »Together with Maks, Nika and Lana, we first defeated all four opponents in our group in the European Junior League and then, after a thrilling final, won the championship with a score of 82:78. The final was full of tension and emotion, and the victory is proof that hard work and great team spirit always pay off.«
Maksimilijan Žarić, bronze medallist at the European Championships, current national record holder and current national champion, is also in the team: »I am very happy with the competition and proud of the team. We achieved 1st place with our joint efforts and good form.«
»I am very happy with the result of today's final, we really tried hard, won all the races and deservedly won the gold. My performance in the final was not quite what I wanted, but I am extremely happy and proud to have been part of such a great team,« said Lana Kužnik, who together with Žarić won the silver medal for Slovenia in the duets at this year's OFEM in Skopje.
Nika Skubic, a promising Slovenian junior and a participant at the 2024 World Championships in Lima, was also part of the team: »I am very happy with today's victory. I'm proud of the team because we showed real team spirit. I am also very happy with my final performance, that I managed to calm my nerves under so much pressure.«
The proud national team manager, Andreja Vlah, did not hide her joy: »Although the shooters made for a really exciting final, as national team manager I was calm because I believed in their composure and ability. The national team hadn't lost a single match since the regional qualification round, so the final was just the icing on the cake.«
It is the biggest success of the Slovenian U18 national youth team, so we can be sure that we will hear more from them.
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