Croatian Para-sport award winners announced

Table tennis star Sandra Paovic and athlete Zoran Talic have been named the best athletes with disabilities in 2014 by the Croatian Paralympic Committee at an awards ceremony in Zagreb.

World number one Paovic last year won the world title in Beijing, China, as well as the gold medal at the national championship in Slovenia and Hungary. She also won bronze medals at the Open Championship of Spain and Italy and was picked up the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Star Awards for best female para-table tennis player.

Talic won the gold medal in the long jump at the IPC Athletics European Championships in Swansea, Great Britain. He also claimed gold in the high jump and silver in the long jump at the INAS European Championships in the Netherlands.

In 2014 the Croatian Paralympic Committee celebrated 50 years of organised sports for persons with an impairment in the country. During the year, Croatian athletes participated in 56 international competitions, winning 159 medals.

At the awards ceremony Marko Turkovic and Paula Novina were named the best young athletes with disabilities, whilst the table tennis team that won bronze at the World Championships was declared best team.