VICTORIES OF JANICA AND IVICA KOSTELIĆ AT THE WORLD CUP IN ALPINE SKIINGST.MORITZ 2003 (C) - IVICA KOSTELIĆ - SOL OUT

The stamps have been issued in se-tenant, in a 8-stamp sheet (2 x 4 alternation), and the First Day Cover (FDC) and souvenir card were also issued. In the history of Croatian sport, brother and sister Kostelić are the most successful sportsmen of our country on account of the number of Olympic and world medals won. Janica Kostelić, who is only 21, is the sportswoman with the greatest number of medals won in Croatia so far. After the Salt Lake City Olympics, the brother and sister were honoured with yet another stamp, with the design of their images. The last three winter skiing seasons to date will remain in our memories for all times, not only in the memories of people closely connected with sports. Though at first it seemed that due attention was not paid all the time, with the arrival of the first good results people in Croatia seemed to hold their breath and live with them. In 2001, Janica won the Big Crystal Globe in Are, Sweden. In the same year she also won the Small Crystal Globe. The year 2002 will remain the year with the greatest number of winter sports achievements for our country. At the Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, Janica won 4 Olympic medals, three gold and one silver - a result no one ever achieved in the history of Olympic Games. To add to the story, at the end of the season Ivica won the Small Crystal Globe. The fairy tale seems to have continued. Just like at the Olympic Games, Janica seemed not to be satisfied with one medal only. At the World Cup in St.Moritz she won two gold medals for Croatia, in combination and slalom. The wonderful success was crowned by the third gold medal for Croatia won for the slalom run by Ivica Kostelić. The three gold medals made Croatia second ranked, immediately after Austria, and better than the skiing powers like Switzerland, Italy, France, Sweden, Norway and Canada. The complete success was rounded up by our two junior women skiers, the 19-year old Nika Fleiss, 8th in slalom, and the 16-year old Ana Jelušić, 24th in giant-slalom. Janica Kostelić has greatly added to her collection of medals and prizes. At 21 she has won everything there was to be won. From the Trofeo Topolino (the unofficial children’s world championship), through world medals won in the junior category, to the winning of the Big and Small Crystal Globes, Olympic and world cup medals. At the end of the season 2002/2003 she won the World Cup again as well the Small Crystal Globe in slalom, and she was 3rd in giant-slalom. Ivica Kostelić also had a season to be remembered. The world’s best slalom skier was second in the World Cup slalom race and 7th in the World Cup total rank, which proves a permanence of excellent results. In the showcase there are already five Crystal Globes, two Big and three Small ones. The best Croatian sportsmen have been beating all sports records. In St.Moritz there another one was broken. Never in the history of world championships have brother and sister won gold medals. The Kostelić siblings did. Bruno Kovačević