The Olympic Center provides renowned Croatian names of Olympic sports to prepare for important tournaments. We are proud of the fact that we are the home of the world's taekwondo masters: Ana Zaninović, Lucija Zaninović, Toni Kanaet, Matea Jelić...
Using our knowledge and many years of work experience, we aim to provide members (recreationists and athletes) with safe exercise in a pleasant club atmosphere, as well as all other benefits that result from the same. Taking into account their capabilities, and in relation to their training goals, we approach each member individually. Through every training session, we educate everyone and encourage them to their maximum.
The results of the Marjan taekwondo club athletes over the past 20 years have positioned the club at the level of the most successful women's club in the city of Split. Over 60 medals won at world and European championships, as well as those at the Olympic Games, are the best suggestion for every parent to choose a sport and club for their child, an opportunity for the child to assert himself through sport, and ultimately continue the path started by Ana and Lucija Zaninović , continued by Matea Jelić, Bruna Vuletić, Lena Stojković...
From the Marjan Taekwondo Club came three titles of the best female athlete in Croatia, seven titles of European senior champions, five appearances at the Olympic Games and two women's Olympic medals, Lucije Zaninović in London and Matea Jelić in Tokyo, and plaques were also placed in their honor on the Western coast.
If you are looking for a place for your child in sports - Taekwondo Club Marjan is the right choice.
The greatest success in the club's history was achieved at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, where Matea Jelić became an Olympic champion and Toni Kanaet won a bronze medal. At the age of only 23, Matea Jelić became the Olympic champion in the category up to 67 kilograms, defeating the British Luren Williams in the final with 25:21. Toni Kanaet won the first Croatian men's Olympic medal, but also the first men's Split martial arts medal at the games. sovereign way against Uzbek Nikita Rafalović with 24:18.
Matea Jelić was declared the best athlete in Croatia in the selection of the Croatian Olympic Committee for 2020. This is a great achievement for a "small" sport that, in the last 21 years, has broken the dominance of the greatest Croatian athletes, Janica Kostelić, Sandra Perković and Blanka Vlašić, that is, the dominance of athletics and skiing. In the category of the best chosen by HOO, the "small" taekwondo led by Ana Zaninović in 2011 broke the 11-year dominance of Janica Kostelić and Blanka Vlašić. We waited another 8 years for the same achievement, when Matea Jelić broke the streak of Sandra Perković (a laureate for eight years in a row).
Bruna Vuletić won the first world medal after the Zaninović sisters in the senior age group. In the category up to 62 kilograms, 19-year-old Bruna Vuletić took the burden of several unfortunate defeats in the fight for the medal of her club colleagues, Lena Stojković, Matea Jelić and Nikita Glasnović, who lost in the last seconds. The concentration was on her side for a 12-13 last-second win against Russia's Yuliya Zaitseva to huge celebrations from the coaches and a checkered section of the stands on the final day of the tournament at Manchester Arena.
A fantastic result was achieved by seniors Lovre Brečić and Toni Kanaet. Having won the European championship titles in Kazan, they brought the Croatian national team to the podium for the first time in history. Brečič registered four victories in the category up to 63 kilograms and thus reached the senior gold, the first for Croatia after a full 24 years.
Ana and Lucija Zaninović, accompanied by coaches Toni Tomas and Marko Novak, found their place among the 88 Croatian athletes at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro for the second time in a row (London 2012). Lucija Zaninović won her way to the games in the category up to 49 kilograms long before the list closed because she was the undisputed ruler and convincing Olympic number 1. Ana, on the other hand, in the category up to 57 kilograms did a real miracle because she placed with a 0.7 point advantage with four operations and five medals in the last few months of qualification
Ana Zaninović won her fourth medal at the world championships, completing her collection with one gold, two silver and one bronze. It was also the first semi-final that Ana did not successfully skip, because before that in her career she appeared in five finals at world and European shows. With the medal in Chelyabinsk, Ana became, along with Blanka Vlašić and Janica Kostelić, the most decorated Croatian athlete in Olympic sports with four medals at the world championships.
The European Championship in Baku was the scene of breaking numerous records. For the first time, two sisters won European gold in the same competition. Lucija Zaninović won the third consecutive gold at the championships of the old continent, and Ana Zaninović added the title of European champion to the title of world champion. In addition, thanks to Ana's gold, Croatia won a record sixth medal and third gold, which brought the Croatian national team the title of European team champion.
Ana Zaninović won her third world medal in Puebla, Mexico. Although she was one step away from defending the title of world champion (after the end of the third round, she led against the Korean Kim Yu Janica 6:5, the judge gave her a warning and sent her to the extra round, where she was defeated by a gold point), in the end she had to settle for a silver medal . A small consolation is the fact that the judge was suspended until the end of the championship, at the same time, on the last day, Ana received an award for FAIR PLAY in the competition of a thousand athletes from 150 countries.
With the bronze medal at the Olympic Games in London, Lucija Zaninović entered the annals of Croatian and Split sports. It was a dream come true and the first Olympic victory in martial arts in the history of the city of Split. By winning against Catherine Kong 14:0 and Carola Lopez 13:4, Lucija opened the Olympic tournament. The semi-final loss to two-time winner Wu Yingju (China) sent Lucia into the fight for bronze. The dramatic fight for the bronze went to an extra round in which Lucija celebrated the golden point.
Ana Zaninović won the title of world champion in far away Korea, thus paying for all the spilled drops of blood, sweat and tears. With a total point difference of 67:21, she beat opponents from countries that they consider leaders in this sport. She celebrated in turn against the representatives of Spain, Taiwan, Iran, Korea, and Morocco. The fact that they beat Morocco with a margin of 13:3 speaks volumes about their dominance.
Lucija Zaninović won the title of European champion in St. Petersburg in the category up to 49 kilograms. On the way to gold, Lucija won against Turkish Hatica Kubra Ilgun 3:0, Ukrainian Ganna Soroka 12:6, Swedish Hana Zajc 9:3 and French Yasmina Aziez 9:5. It was the first major gold medal, which made the airport in Resnik the scene of an emotional welcome.
Ana Zaninović won the world championship in Beijing. After 5 rounds in the final, she was narrowly defeated 4:3 by the Spaniard Brigittia Yague, one of the best taekwondo athletes in history (three world titles and four European championship titles). With that silver, Ana equaled the greatest successes of Croatian taekwondo, the silver medals of Nataša Vezmar and Sandra Šarić from 2003.
In its beginnings, for training purposes, the club managed to pray only three sessions a week in the hall of the Skalice Elementary School. At that time, it was unimaginable that four years later the first club hall available 24 hours a day would be opened in Blatine. It was the first real home of the club's athletes, and it was where the foundations for the biggest medals were forged.
The club was created as a desire for the independence of a group of athletes who, until the founding of the Marjan Taekwondo Club, were active competitors of the Neryo Taekwondo Club. Without a real idea of what responsibilities await them and what problems they will encounter along the way, in August 2000, enthusiasts Toni Tomas and Mario Kozić founded the Marjan Taekwondo club and began the story.