A Ukrainian judo practitioner is training in Kastela, aspiring to compete at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles
A Ukrainian judo practitioner is training in Kastela, aspiring to compete at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles
It's Thursday evening, and the corner of Dr. Ante Alfirević Street in Kaštel Sućurac bustles with activity as young judo practitioners in white and blue kimonos stream in and out of the Dalmacijacement club hall. This hall, dedicated solely to judo, welcomes practitioners daily from 8 AM until past 10 PM. There are about two hundred of them, from the youngest four-year-olds in the judo kindergarten to seniors in their twenties.
It wasn't always like this. When Josip Barić from Kaštela, a young kinesiologist, began training his first group of ten children in 2010, the club had a total of 70 to 80 practitioners. After a year and a half, sensei Barić, as a judo coach is called, was already training 115 children. Young judokas adore Barić. Katarina Krišto can attest to this, as Josip Barić has been her coach since she started training at the age of 12. She even competed at the Olympic Games in Paris last summer as the first Olympian from Kaštela, under his guidance.
Katarina serves as a role model for the children at the Dalmacijacement club, as well as for 19-year-old Ukrainian Andrii Marchenko. Andrii admires her “because she strives every day to be better than she was yesterday”. He believes that Katarina will secure a medal at the next Olympics in 2028, a goal that narrowly escaped her in Paris. Andrii also hopes to compete in Los Angeles, under the Croatian flag.
Katarina Kristo and Andrii Marchenko
“My dream is to compete in the Olympics in Los Angeles. The Olympics is the greatest goal you can achieve. Like Kate, I strive every day to be better than I was the day before," says Andrii Marchenko.
Andrii moved to Croatia because of judo and coach Barić when the war disrupted his family's life in Ukraine. We attended a training session in the newly renovated hall of the club, which celebrated its 50th anniversary last year, specifically because of Andrii. Originally named Jadranska Željezara, the club was founded in 1973, a year after judo became an Olympic sport at the Munich Games. The hall where judo is practiced is called a dojo. Upon entering the dojo, judokas bow as a sign of respect for what is taught there.
Parents watch the training from the bench and are quick to express their satisfaction with the club and the coaches, who establish authority without shouting or instilling fear, as one mother of two children training there says. Everyone knows Andrii well, and the parents emphasize that he has integrated seamlessly and that the younger children adore him.
Andrii loves the thrill of fighting. He says he could fight all the time, but he understands that solidarity and respect are essential in the world of judo. Without these values, judo would be just another fight for victory or defeat, which is not what judo is about. The idea that an athlete's greatness comes from how they treat others is one of the core teachings of judo, embedded in its moral code. This code was established by the founder of judo, Jigoro Kano, in the late 19th century. It comprises eight values: courtesy, courage, sincerity, honor, modesty, respect, self-control, and friendship.
For the actual fight, strength, technique, and tactics are crucial, Andrii explains. Judo has over a hundred techniques, and there's always something new to learn, even after many years of training. Katarina Krišto says that Andrii has “exceptionally good technique and strength,” but sometimes intuition and the “'knowing how to seize the right moment'” are more important than strength and Andrii is good at that, says Katarina.
Andrii has been practicing judo since he was three years old. He also trained in swimming, gymnastics, and chess and excelled in all of them, but judo remains the most fascinating to him because he is always learning. This has been especially true since he came to Croatia to train with coach Barić. Andrii's journey to Dalmacijacement took him through France, where judo is the most popular among European countries.
Andrii Marchenko and coach Josip Baric
Two days after the war began, Andrii's father, grandmother, and border collie Luna set off from Kyiv to Marseille. Sixteen-year-old Andrii insisted they leave because he sensed things would not go well and the war would not end quickly. Days before it started, he dreamt of the war. In Marseille, he immediately sought out a club to train at, but he switched several clubs because he wasn't satisfied, he even travelled to Paris for training. Then coach Barić wrote to his father and suggested they come to Croatia. They had met years earlier at competitions and training camps. Andrii's father, also named Andrii, took his son everywhere to learn as much as possible, as each country has its own approach and style of judo. For example, Ukrainian judo is rougher than Croatian judo, which focuses more on tactics, Andrii explains. The coach adds that the training method in Ukraine is stricter, making the children more disciplined and persistent.
This is evident in Andrii and two other younger Ukrainians who train at the club. Andrii immediately took a liking to Dalmacijacement because he has both a coach and fellow judokas from whom he can learn. He quickly noticed his progress and realized that this is, as he says, the best opportunity for him. Life in Kaštela is also pleasant for him, and he would like to stay here. It's peaceful, he has learned the language, and he has friends. However, like any passionate judoka, he dreams of going to Japan, the birthplace of judo, to train there. He admires Japanese judo the most. His idol, Shohei Ono, is from Japan, and Andrii says no one throws like him.
“Exchange is important because it allows you to learn new techniques and understand what to expect in competitions," Andrii explains. He has traveled to Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, France, Austria, Russia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Latvia, Lithuania, and more. His father would drive hundreds of kilometers while Andrii slept in the van.
"My father lived for my judo; he was with me at every competition," says Andrii, while showing photos with his dad and medals from his childhood competitions. You can see the pride in his father's face. His father was an academic painter, and the apartment Andrii rents with his grandmother in Kaštel Stari is filled with his paintings, some featuring motifs from Kaštela. His father passed away suddenly nine months ago at the age of 57. Andrii's mother died when he was just six months old, so his grandmother, his mother's mother, is now his only family. The grandmother would like to return to Ukraine, despite the difficult and uncertain life in Kyiv, but she stays in Croatia for Andrii. She has already lost her home once, when her family had to leave Chernobyl after the disaster in 1986. "It was easier for me then because I was young and studying in Kyiv, but it was hard for my mother, who was my age now, to adapt to a new life," says the grandmother Tatiana.
A lot rests on the shoulders of 19-year-old Andrii. He trains twice a day, studies online to become a sports coach at a university in Ukraine, and takes care of his grandmother and himself, especially paying for the expensive accommodation by the sea in Croatia. His biggest concern, however, is whether he will obtain citizenship. Without it, it's uncertain if he will be able to compete in the European and World Championships, Grand Slam and Grand Prix competitions, or accumulate points for the Olympics. This is his biggest dream, shared by his grandmother and his late father.
Coach Josip Barić believes Andrii is ready for a European or World medal in his junior category. Andrii would also be a valuable addition to the Croatian team, as the women's team is excellent, but the men's team needs reinforcement. However, Andrii is still young. The best years for a judoka are ahead of him, although he is ready for competitions. Before each match, he calms himself with breathing exercises and repeats to himself that he is the best.
