Croatia competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 5 to 21 August 2016. This was the nation's seventh consecutive appearance at the Summer Olympics. The Croatian Olympic Committee (, HOO) confirmed a roster of 87 athletes, 68 men and 19 women, to compete across 18 sports at the Games.
Croatia left Rio de Janeiro with a total of 10 medals (5 gold, 3 silver, and 2 bronze), finishing seventeenth in the overall standings. These Games also marked the nation's most successful outcome in Summer Olympic history since the break-up of SFR Yugoslavia, surpassing the six medals won at London 2012. Three of the medals were awarded to the team in track and field, two in rowing and sailing, and one each in shooting and boxing. Croatia also proved particularly successful in traditional team sports, as the water polo players obtained the silver medal in the men's tournament, despite losing its title defense to neighboring Serbia at the final match.
Among the medalists were super heavyweight boxer Filip Hrgović and Laser sailor Tonči Stipanović, who both secured historic first Olympic medals for Croatia in their respective sports. 470 duo Šime Fantela and Igor Marenić controlled the race ahead of their top rivals Australia and Greece to win the nation's first ever sailing title. Discus thrower Sandra Perković successfully defended her Olympic title, while 21-year-old Sara Kolak trounced the vastly experienced field to become the women's javelin throw champion. Shooter Josip Glasnović succeeded his teammate Giovanni Cernogoraz as the new Olympic champion in the men's trap. Brothers Martin and Valent Sinković fought a tough duel against Lithuania to capture a gold medal in the men's double sculls, adding it to their world and European titles over the last two years.
Medalists
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Medal Name Sport Event Date Shooting Men's trap Rowing Men's double sculls Athletics Women's discus throw Sailing Men's 470 Athletics Women's javelin throw Rowing Men's single sculls Sailing Laser Croatia men's national water polo teamWater polo Men's tournament Boxing Men's super heavyweight Athletics Women's high jump | width=22% align=left valign=top | | style="text-align:left; width:22%; vertical-align:top;"|
Medals by sportSport TotalAthletics 2 0 13Rowing 1 1 02Sailing 1 1 02Shooting 1 0 01Water polo 0 1 01Boxing 0 0 11 Total 5 3 2 10
Medals by dayDay Total 8 August 1 0 0 1 11 August 1 0 0 1 13 August 0 1 0 1 16 August 1 1 0 2 18 August 2 0 0 2 19 August 0 0 1 1 20 August 0 1 1 2Total532 10
Competitors The Croatian Olympic Committee (, HOO) fielded a team of 87 athletes, 68 men and 19 women, across eighteen sports at the Games; it was the nation's fourth-largest delegation sent to the Olympics, but the smallest since 2004.
More than 50 percent of the men's side competed in traditional team sports, with the water polo players looking to defend their Olympic title from the London Games four years earlier. Track and field accounted for the largest number of athletes on the squad by an individual-based sport, with 10 entries. There was a single competitor each in diving, judo, table tennis, weightlifting, and wrestling.
Nine of the past Olympic medalists from the individual-based sports returned, including defending champions Giovanni Cernogoraz (men's trap shooting) and Sandra Perković (women's discus throw), taekwondo fighter Lucija Zaninović (women's 49 kg), along with her twin sister Ana, rifle shooter Snježana Pejčić, gymnast Filip Ude (men's pommel horse), and experienced high jumper Blanka Vlašić. Rowers Damir Martin and brothers Martin and Valent Sinković, all of whom won silver as members of the quadruple sculls crew from London 2012, qualified separately for the smaller boats at the Games, with the latter two entering as reigning world champions and top medal favorites in the double sculls.
Other notable athletes on the Croatian roster included world sailing champions Šime Fantela and Igor Marenić in the men's 470 class, world-ranked tennis player Marin Čilić, and boxing pro Filip Hrgović (men's super heavyweight). Water polo goalkeeper Josip Pavić, who helped his team secure a gold-medal triumph in the men's tournament at London 2012, was selected by the committee as Croatia's flag bearer for the opening ceremony.
| width=78% align=left valign=top |The following is the list of number of competitors participating in the Games. Note that reserves in fencing, field hockey, football, gymnastics, handball and rowing are not counted as athletes: SportMenWomenTotalAthletics 3 7 10Basketball 12 0 12Boxing 2 0 2Cycling 2 0 2Diving 0 1 1Gymnastics 1 1 2Handball 14 0 14Judo 0 1 1Rowing 3 0 3Sailing 7 1 8Shooting 3 4 7Swimming 1 1 2Table tennis 1 0 1Taekwondo 1 2 3Tennis 3 1 4Water polo 13 0 13Weightlifting 1 0 1Wrestling 1 0 1 Total 68 19 87
Athletics
Croatian athletes have achieved qualifying standards in the following athletics events (up to a maximum of 3 athletes in each event):
Track & road events AthleteEventHeatSemifinalFinalResultRankResultRankResultRankAndrea IvančevićWomen's 100 m hurdles12.904 q12.936Did not advanceMatea MatoševićWomen's marathoncolspan=4 2:50:00104Marija Vrajićcolspan=4 2:59:24119
Field events Men AthleteEventQualificationFinalDistancePositionDistancePositionIvan HorvatPole vault5.3027Did not advanceFilip MihaljevićShot put19.6921Did not advanceStipe Žunić20.528 q20.0411
Women AthleteEventQualificationFinalDistancePositionDistancePositionSara KolakJavelin throw64.30 NR3 Q66.18 NRSandra PerkovićDiscus throw64.813 Q69.21Ana ŠimićHigh jump1.8922Did not advanceBlanka Vlašić1.94=1 Q1.97
Basketball
Men's tournament
Croatia men's basketball team qualified for the Olympics by securing its lone outright berth and winning the final match over Italy at the Turin leg of the 2016 FIBA World Qualifying Tournament, signifying the nation's comeback to the men's tournament after an eight-year hiatus.
Team roster
Group play
Quarterfinal
Boxing
Croatia has entered two boxers to compete in the following weight classes into the Olympic boxing tournament. Hrvoje Sep and Filip Hrgović were the only Croatians to be selected to the Olympic team by virtue of top two finishes of their respective division in the AIBA Pro Boxing series and World Series of Boxing.
AthleteEventRound of 32Round of 16QuarterfinalsSemifinalsFinalOppositionResultOppositionResultOppositionResultOppositionResultOppositionResultRankHrvoje SepMen's light heavyweightW 2–1L 0–3Did not advanceFilip HrgovićMen's super heavyweightW 3–0W L 1–2Did not advance
Cycling
Road Croatian riders qualified for a maximum of two quota places in the men's Olympic road race by virtue of their top 15 final national ranking in the 2015 UCI Europe Tour.
AthleteEventTimeRankKristijan ĐurasekMen's road race6:13:3618Matija KvasinaDid not finish
Diving
Croatia has received a spare continental berth freed up by South Africa from FINA to send a diver competing in the women's individual springboard to the Olympics, based on her results at the 2016 FINA World Cup series, signifying the nation's Olympic debut in the sport.
AthleteEventPreliminariesSemifinalsFinalPointsRankPointsRankPointsRankMarcela MarićWomen's 3 m springboard271.4025Did not advance
Gymnastics
Artistic Croatia has entered two artistic gymnasts into the Olympic competition. Beijing 2008 silver medalist Filip Ude and Ana Đerek had claimed their Olympic spots each in the men's and women's apparatus and all-around events, respectively, at the Olympic Test Event in Rio de Janeiro.
Men AthleteEventQualificationFinalApparatusTotalRankApparatusTotalRankFilip UdePommel horse14.333colspan=4 14.33330Did not advance
Women AthleteEventQualificationFinalApparatusTotalRankApparatusTotalRankAna ĐerekAll-around0.00011.43313.200Did not advance
Handball
Summary
TeamEventGroup stageQuarterfinalSemifinalFinal / OppositionScoreOppositionScoreOppositionScoreOppositionScoreOppositionScoreRankOppositionScoreOppositionScoreOppositionScoreRankCroatia men'sMen's tournamentL 23–30W 27–26W 27–24W 29–28W 41–261L 27–30Did not advance5
Men's tournament
Croatia men's handball team qualified for the Olympics by virtue of a top two finish at the third meet of the Olympic Qualification Tournament in Herning, Denmark.
Team roster
Group play
Quarterfinal
Judo
Croatia has qualified one judoka for the women's middleweight category (70 kg) at the Games. Barbara Matić earned a continental quota spot from the European region as highest-ranked Croatian judoka outside of direct qualifying position in the IJF World Ranking List of 30 May 2016.
AthleteEventRound of 32Round of 16QuarterfinalsSemifinalsRepechageFinal / OppositionResultOppositionResultOppositionResultOppositionResultOppositionResultOppositionResultRankBarbara MatićWomen's −70 kgL 000–011Did not advance
Rowing
Croatia qualified two boats for each of the following classes into the Olympic regatta. Rowers competing in the men's single and double sculls had confirmed Olympic places for their boats at the 2015 FISA World Championships in Lac d'Aiguebelette, France.
AthleteEventHeatsRepechageQuarterfinalsSemifinalsFinalTimeRankTimeRankTimeRankTimeRankTimeRankDamir MartinMen's single sculls7:23.082 QFcolspan=2 6:44.441 SA/B6:59.432 FA6:41.34Martin SinkovićValent SinkovićMen's double sculls6:30.091 SA/Bcolspan=2 colspan=2 6:12.271 FA6:50.28 Qualification Legend: FA=Final A (medal); FB=Final B (non-medal); FC=Final C (non-medal); FD=Final D (non-medal); FE=Final E (non-medal); FF=Final F (non-medal); SA/B=Semifinals A/B; SC/D=Semifinals C/D; SE/F=Semifinals E/F; QF=Quarterfinals; R=Repechage
Sailing
Croatian sailors qualified one boat in each of the following classes through the 2014 ISAF Sailing World Championships, the individual fleet Worlds, and European qualifying regattas.
Men AthleteEventRaceNet pointsFinal rank123456789101112M*Luka MratovićRS:X13111521DNF19271834263130EL24524Tonči StipanovićLaser157126728973colspan=2 1876Ivan Kljaković-GašpićFinn68101588410213colspan=2 20895Šime FantelaIgor Marenić4701241334863colspan=2 1643Petar CupaćPavle Kostov49er917111011118181513810EL12215
Women AthleteEventRaceNet pointsFinal rank12345678910M*Tina MihelićLaser RadialDSQ31110414DNF52316EL12413 M = Medal race; EL = Eliminated – did not advance into the medal race
Shooting
Croatian shooters achieved quota places for the following events by virtue of their best finishes at the 2014 and 2015 ISSF World Championships, the 2015 ISSF World Cup series, and European Championships or Games, as long as they obtained a minimum qualifying score (MQS) by 31 March 2016.
Following the completion of the two-year qualifying period, Croatia had selected a total of seven shooters to compete at the Games, including 2008 Olympic bronze medalist Snježana Pejčić and defending Olympic trap champion Giovanni Cernogoraz.
Men AthleteEventQualificationSemifinalFinalPointsRankPointsRankPointsRankGiovanni CernogorazTrap1169Did not advanceJosip Glasnović1203 Q151 Q13 (+4)Petar Gorša10 m air rifle628.03 Qcolspan=2 101.0750 m rifle prone621.920colspan=2 Did not advance50 m rifle 3 positions11749colspan=2 Did not advance
Women AthleteEventQualificationFinalPointsRankPointsRankValentina Gustin10 m air rifle413.923Did not advanceMarija Marović10 m air pistol37733Did not advanceSnježana Pejčić10 m air rifle416.07 Q102.0750 m rifle 3 positions58012Did not advanceTanja Perec50 m rifle 3 positions57229Did not advance Qualification Legend: Q = Qualify for the next round; q = Qualify for the bronze medal (shotgun)
Swimming
Croatian swimmers achieved qualifying standards in the following events (up to a maximum of 2 swimmers in each event at the Olympic Qualifying Time (OQT), and 1 at the Olympic Selection Time (OST)):