Ante Kostelić (born 11 August 1938) is a Croatian former

handball Handball (also known as team handball, European handball, Olympic handball or indoor handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of thr ...

player, and handball and skier

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of Athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Coac ...

. He is best known for coaching his children, Croatian skiers Janica and

Ivica Kostelić Ivica Kostelić (; born 23 November 1979) is a Croatian former alpine ski racer. He specialized in slalom and combined, but was also one of the few alpine World Cup ski racers able to score points in all disciplines. He is the brother of skiin ...

, who won the

FIS Alpine World Ski Championships The FIS Alpine World Ski Championships is an alpine skiing competition organized by the International Ski Federation (FIS). History The inaugural world championships in alpine skiing were held in 1931. It consisted of Downhill (ski competition), ...

, overall

FIS Alpine World Cup The FIS Alpine Ski World Cup is the top international circuit of alpine skiing competitions, launched in 1966 by a group of ski racing friends and experts which included French journalist Serge Lang and the alpine ski team directors from France ...

and Olympic titles between 2001 and 2014. As head coach of the ŽRK Osijek handball club he won the 1981–82 IHF Women's Cup Winners' Cup. He has been honoured with numerous awards including the

Croatian Olympic Committee The Croatian Olympic Committee (, HOO) is the non-profit organization representing Croatian athletes in the International Olympic Committee. The COC organizes Croatia's representatives at the Summer and Winter Olympic Games. It also organizes the ...

's Matija Ljubek Award (2001),

Franjo Bučar State Award for Sport Franjo Bučar State Award for Sport () is the highest recognition that Republic of Croatia gives for extraordinary achievements and contributions of remarkable meaning for the development of sport in Croatia. This award has been given since 1991. I ...

(2003) and the Order of Duke Branimir.

Early life

Born in

Zagreb Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...

, Ante Kostelić attended

Grammar school A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a Latin school, school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented Se ...

in his home town and later graduated from the Faculty of Kinesiology. He played

for several clubs in Croatia (then within Yugoslavia), e.g. RK Polet Zagreb, RK Mladost Zagreb,

RK Zagreb Rukometni klub Zagreb (, ) is a men's professional handball club from Zagreb, Croatia. It competes in the Croatian Premier League and the EHF Champions League. RK Zagreb has won 38 national championships and the national cup 32 times. The c ...

, as well as in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

(

AS Cannes Association Sportive de Cannes Football (; commonly referred to as AS Cannes or simply Cannes) is a French association football club based in Cannes. The club was formed in 1902 as a sports club and currently plays in the Championnat National 2 ...

). His player positions were circle runner (pivot, line player) or left winger. As an RK Zagreb player, he won the Yugoslav Handball Cup in 1962. He was also active in

swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, such as saltwater or freshwater environments, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Swimmers achieve locomotion by coordinating limb and body movements to achieve hydrody ...

skiing Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow for basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the International S ...

and car racing.

Coaching career

From the 1970s to the 1990s, Kostelić coached many handball clubs, including RK Ivanić

Ivanić-Grad Ivanić-Grad or Ivanić Grad () is a town in Zagreb County, Croatia. Geography Ivanić-Grad is located south-east from Zagreb, connected: * by highway A3 (Bregana-Zagreb-Ivanić-Grad-Slavonski Brod-Lipovac) * by train on direction Zagreb - Sl ...

RK Medveščak Rukometni klub "Medveščak" is a team handball, handball club located in Zagreb, Croatia. They are one of the more famous branches of the Medveščak sports society, named after the Gornji Grad - Medveščak, Medveščak neighbourhood of Zagreb. ...

Zagreb, RK Zagreb,

RK Partizan RK Partizan () is a Serbian handball club based in Belgrade. They compete in the Serbian Handball Super League and EHF European League. History The original club was founded in 1948. They competed for only a year until 1949. In January 1957, R ...

Bjelovar, RK Trešnjevka Zagreb,

RK Celje Rokometni klub Celje () or simply RK Celje, currently named Celje Pivovarna Laško () due to sponsorship reasons, is a professional handball club from Celje, Slovenia. They were the winners of the Champions League in the 2003–04 season, beco ...

, ŽRK Osijek,

RK Pelister RK Eurofarm Pelister II () is a team handball club from Bitola, North Macedonia. It serves as the second team for RK Eurofarm Pelister. History The original team was the first handball club in Macedonia, formed in 1946 under the name Pelagonija ...

Bitola and 1. FC Nürnberg

Nuremberg Nuremberg (, ; ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the Franconia#Towns and cities, largest city in Franconia, the List of cities in Bavaria by population, second-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Bav ...

. In his coaching career, he first became famous for his triumph in the 1981–82 IHF Women's Cup Winners' Cup as ŽRK Osijek Handball Club head coach. In the final, ŽRK Osijek beat SC Spartacus from

Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...

54:38 on aggregate. At the beginning of the 1990s he became an

alpine skiing Alpine skiing, or downhill skiing, is the pastime of sliding down snow-covered slopes on skis with fixed-heel Ski binding, bindings, unlike other types of skiing (Cross-country skiing, cross-country, Telemark skiing, Telemark, or ski jumping) ...

coach, starting with the ski clubs SK Medveščak and SK Zagreb. He was known as a very tough and demanding coach and therefore sometimes got into confrontations with other club members or parents of the skiers, who thought he demanded too much from his

trainee A trainee is commonly known as an individual taking part in a trainee program within an organization after having graduated from technical and higher courses. A trainee is an official employee of the firm that is being trained to the job they we ...

s. Then he took over coaching his children Janica and

Ivica Ivica is a Slavic masculine given name, a diminutive form of Ivan. The direct English equivalent of the name is Johnny, while the equivalent of its augmentative Ivan is John. It is one of the frequent male given names in Croatia, and is also pre ...

), who succeeded at the highest levels of the sport, becoming world alpine ski world

champion A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the victor in a challenge, Competition, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional/provincial/state, national, continental and world champi ...

s as well as

World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the name is ...

and Olympic winners. Together they were awarded four gold and six silver

Olympic medals An Olympic medal is awarded to successful competitors at one of the Olympic Games. There are three classes of medal to be won: gold, silver, and bronze, awarded to first, second, and third place, respectively. The granting of awards is laid ou ...

. In April 2017 it was announced that Kostelić would become coach of the Croatian alpine skiers

Elias Elias ( ; ) is the hellenized version for the name of Elijah (; ; , or ), a prophet in the Northern Kingdom of Israel in the 9th century BC, mentioned in several holy books. Due to Elias' role in the scriptures and to many later associated tradit ...

and Samuel Kolega.

Honours and awards

Ante Kostelić has been honoured by the

(, ) with the Matija Ljubek Award, the highest COC prize, awarded to individuals as a lifetime achievement, in 2001. Two years later he was honoured with the

, the highest recognition that

Republic of Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Mont ...

gives for extraordinary achievements in the field of

sport Sport is a physical activity or game, often Competition, competitive and organization, organized, that maintains or improves physical ability and skills. Sport may provide enjoyment to participants and entertainment to spectators. The numbe ...

in Croatia. In 2010 he received the Order of Prince Branimir, which is given for excellence in promoting Croatia's

international relations International relations (IR, and also referred to as international studies, international politics, or international affairs) is an academic discipline. In a broader sense, the study of IR, in addition to multilateral relations, concerns al ...

. In addition, the Croatian Olympic Committee elected him several times as Croatia's coach of the year (2002, 2006, 2010, 2014).

References

External links

Ante Kostelić honoured with the Order of Duke Branimir in 2010
''(in Croatian)''
Ante Kostelić coached her daughter Janica who won a gold medal at the 2002 Winter OlympicsCroatian Sensation's father and head coachKostelić elected as Croatia's best coach by Croatian Olympic Committee
''(in Croatian)''
Kostelić skiing family filmShort biography on IMDbKostelić family: born to be successful
''(in Croatian)''

* ttps://www.jutarnji.hr/arhiva/boljele-su-me-price-o-ivici-kao-bivsem-skijasu/3291290/ Kostelić – former Monsieur Handball in France''(in Croatian)''
A. Kostelić among members of the Croatian Olympic Delegation in Vancouver 2010Legendary coach, Ante Kostelić, explains athlete development (video)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kostelic, Ante Croatian alpine skiing coaches Alpine skiing coaches Croatian handball coaches Croatian male handball players RK Zagreb players 1938 births Living people Handball players from Zagreb 20th-century Croatian people

Early life

Coaching career

Honours and awards

See also

References

External links