Matija Ljubek, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death

Matija Ljubek

Canoe racer

Date of Birth: 22-Nov-1953

Place of Birth: Belišće, Osijek-Baranja County, Croatia

Date of Death: 11-Oct-2000

Profession: canoeist, kayaker

Zodiac Sign: Sagittarius

Matija Ljubek (Croatian pronunciation: [?ubek]; 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 Belišce, 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 Nišovic), one silver (C-2 1000 m: 1984 with Mirko Nišovic), 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.