Croatian Olympian visits Lambeau

PADDLING
BY RICH PALZEWIC

Not only is Croatia’s Martin Sinkovic an Olympic

gold medalist in rowing, but he’s also a rabid Packers fan.

Sinkovic and his wife Manuela had a dream come true

when they visited Lambeau Field for the Sept. 22 game against Denver and the

Sept. 26 contest versus Philadelphia.

The pair was able to see a win and a loss,

respectively.

The 29-year-old Sinkovic won a gold medal in double

sculls with his brother Valent at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics and a silver

medal in London in the quadruple sculls.

American football is not a popular sport in Croatia,

but Sinkovic saw a game on television in November of 2016, and the Packers

happened to be the team he watched that day.

“I had never seen an American football game in

Europe before, especially in Croatia,” he said. “There are only a few people

who watch American football in Croatia – I first thought the game was boring to

watch. Once I started to watch, I liked it and gave it a try. The Packers seemed

like a nice team to me, so I started watching more of their games. When the

season ended, I couldn’t wait until the next September to watch them again.”

To immerse himself in the team and culture, Sinkovic

took his liking of the Green and Gold a step further.

“I began to watch films about the Packers and

discovered the history and everything behind it – it’s something special,” said

Sinkovic. “I’m a huge fan, and it was my dream to come to Lambeau and watch a

game live. I got the time off after the World Championships and was able to

come. It was perhaps the greatest 10 days of my life.”

Before arriving in America, Sinkovic sent an email

to the Green Bay Rowing Club and accommodations were made for him to stay at

the home of local rower Ken Dollhopf and his wife Lou Damiano.

Robinson Metal graciously donated tickets to the

Sinkovics and invited them to a tailgate party.

“It will be really hard for me to explain what it

was like in Green Bay and watching a game to my friends back home,” Sinkovic

said. “There is a stadium in the middle of the city with houses all around. You

have to be here to understand it. I hope to come back very soon, maybe even the

year after next.”

The couple was also able to visit Door County for a

day.

“I liked Door County – it was very pretty, but I

liked Green Bay better,” said a smiling Sinkovic. “The people were very

friendly. We also did a stadium tour and visited the Hall of Fame.”

In addition to his Olympic prowess, Sinkovic is a

six-time world champion in various rowing disciplines.

“I have also qualified for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics,”

he said. “I am hoping to bring home another gold and continue my career until

the 2024 Olympics in Paris for sure. You never know – maybe even the 2028

Olympics in Los Angeles, but that’s a long ways away and a lot of years from

now.”

Sinkovic started rowing about 20 years ago at the

age of 9.

“I have another older brother who saw rowing on television, and he

liked it,” he said. “After I saw he had a good time, I started to row and Valent

started rowing, too. My parents didn’t row but enjoy watching us when they can

– it’s a beautiful story.”

While in Green Bay, Sinkovic was able to row with

the Green Bay club three or four times to keep sharp in between going to the

games.

“The Fox River is beautiful for rowing,” said

Sinkovic. “It’s not too small or too big – we had a great time.”