Matija Ljubek

Medal record
Ljubek gravestone in 2007
Men's canoe sprint
Olympic Games
Gold	1976 Montréal	C-1 1000 m
Bronze	1976 Montréal	C-1 500 m
Gold	1984 Los Angeles	C-2 500 m
Silver	1984 Los Angeles	C-2 1000 m
World Championships
Bronze	1975 Belgrade	C-1 10000 m
Gold	1978 Belgrade	C-1 1000 m
Bronze	1978 Belgrade	C-1 10000 m
Silver	1981 Nottingham	C-1 10000 m
Gold	1982 Belgrade	C-2 500 m
Silver	1982 Belgrade	C-2 1000 m
Gold	1983 Tampere	C-2 500 m
Bronze	1983 Tampere	C-2 1000 m
Gold	1985 Mechelen	C-2 10000 m
Silver	1985 Mechelen	C-2 1000 m

Matija Ljubek (November 22, 1953 – October 11, 2000) was a successful canoer from Belišće, Croatia who later became a sports official for Croatia.

Born in Belišće, 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), one silver (C-2 1000 m: 1984), 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 received 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.

References

• ICF medalists for Olympic and World Championships - Part 1: flatwater (now sprint): 1936-2007.
• ICF medalists for Olympic and World Championships - Part 2: rest of flatwater (now sprint) and remaining canoeing disciplines: 1936-2007.
• Sports-Reference.com profile
• Wallechinsky, David and Jaime Loucky (2008). "Canoeing: Men's Canadian Singles 1000 Meters". In The Complete Book of the Olympics: 2008 Edition. London: Aurum Press Limited. p. 480.

Awards
Preceded by Nenad Stekić	The Best Athlete of Yugoslavia 1976	Succeeded by Šaban Seidiju
Preceded by Nenad Stekić	Yugoslav Sportsman of the Year 1976	Succeeded by Šaban Seidiju
Olympic Games
Preceded by Dražen Dalipagić	Flagbearer for Yugoslavia Seoul 1988	Succeeded by Igor Milanović (for Yugoslavia)