Denis Žvegelj won the first Olympic medal for independent Slovenia on this day exactly 32 years ago in Barcelona, together with Iztok Čop. "Of course I remember that match. Everything, how it went, right up to the award ceremony, where I was already terribly tired and the IOC President at the time, Juan Antonio Samaranch, was also there," said Žvegelj.

"But the real euphoria came at home, because it was a medal of national importance at that time. The year before, during the independence period, we had already won silver in the double, but back then it was more or less in the circle of rowing fans and home supporters in Bled," said the former national rower.

Jani Klemenčič, who won the medal together with Milan Janša, Sadik Mujkić and Saša Mirjanič, said he did not understand it all at the time. "I was too young. After the game, I felt like it was some kind of game in Villach and it was only at the award ceremony with the legendary Samaranch that it clicked for me. But remember that rowing is an extremely hard sport, the margin was small, we had used every last atom of strength and I was tired."

He continued: "How hard it is, what it means, became clear to me in the following races, including the Olympic ones. In 1996 in Atlanta, we were among the favourites and we were just as much behind the medal as we were ahead in Barcelona. Then we were fourth in Sydney, then ninth, and then you realize how difficult the road to a medal is. I'm so glad you remembered that event."

The President of the Slovenian Olympic Committee, Franjo Bobinac, presented them with the Leon Štukelj commemorative silver medal, which was issued by the Olympic Committee of Slovenia on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the first Olympic gold medals won by a Slovenian athlete and is reserved for selected individuals.

Jani Klemenčič emphasized that he is proud he was an ambassador of the Slovenian Torch, which visited almost all Slovenian municipalities and is now decorated in the Slovenian House in Paris. "I hope I have completed my task successfully. If we got just one new athlete in each municipality, we have achieved our goal. Sport is one of the few normal things in these crazy and strange times. The torch gives it a bright future, so let's keep this project going."

More photos at: GALLERY.