Jana Pavalić (born 27 May 2007)"Jana Pavalic". FINA. Retrieved 13 September 2022. is a Croatian competitive swimmer. She is the Croatian record holder in the long course 50-metre freestyle, 100-metre freestyle, and 50-metre butterfly, as well as the short course 50-metre butterfly. At the 2022 World Junior Championships, she won the gold medal in the 50-metre butterfly with a Croatian record time of 26.38 seconds at 15 years of age. As a 14-year-old, she placed 24th in the 50-metre butterfly, 28th in the 50-metre freestyle, and 37th in the 100-metre freestyle at the 2021 World Short Course Championships.
Background In 2022, Pavalić announced her goal of competing at the 2024 Summer Olympics.Beluhan, Renata (15 July 2022). "Tvorac zagorskog plivačkog čuda: 'Ona je iznimna, u sprintu je jedna od trenutno najvećih talenata!'" (in Croatian). Jutarnji list. Retrieved 13 September 2022.Zrinščak, Tomislav (9 September 2022). "Jana Pavalić:"Jako sam sretna nisam očekivala ovakav doček, veliko hvala svima"" (in Croatian). zagorje.com. Retrieved 13 September 2022. She trains under the guidance of Ivica Androić.
Career 2021 On 5 June, at the 2021 Croatian National Championships in Rijeka, Pavalić won the gold medal in the 50-metre freestyle with a Croatian record time of 25.66 seconds, which was 2.23 seconds faster than the silver medalist."Ekipno C prvenstvo Hrvatske: 1. 50m SLOBODNO, Plivačice - C ekipno prvenstvo" (in Croatian). croswimspace.org. 5 June 2021. Retrieved 25 October 2022. Later in the month on 27 June, which marked one month after she turned 14 years old, she set a second national record, this time in the 50-metre butterfly with a time of 26.50 seconds to win the silver medal at the Zlatni Medvjed in Zagreb."35. Međunarodno plivačko natjecanje "ZLATNI MEDVJED": 65. 50m LEPTIR, Plivačice - A i B finale" (in Croatian). croswimspace.org. 27 June 2021. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
2021 European Junior Championships
At the 2021 European Junior Swimming Championships, held in July in Rome, Italy, Pavalić won the silver medal in the 50-metre freestyle with a time of 25.35 seconds, which was less than five-tenths of a second behind gold medalist Daria Tatarinova of Russia.LEN (12 July 2021). "LEN European Junior Swimming Championships Rome - Italy: Complete Results Book". Microplus Informatica. Retrieved 13 September 2022.Bradovski, Mihaela (12 July 2021). "Jana Pavalić osvojila srebro na Europskom juniorskom prvenstvu u plivanju" (in Croatian). Sportnet.hr. Retrieved 13 September 2022."Jana Pavalić: Ima tek 14 godina, ali o njoj ćemo slušati u godinama koje dolaze" (in Croatian). Nova TV. 16 July 2021. Retrieved 13 September 2022. En course to her silver medal, she set a new Croatian record in the event in the semifinals with a personal best time of 25.28 seconds after first lowering her Croatian record to a 25.64 in the preliminaries.Žukina, Predrag (10 July 2022). "Hrvatska ima novo sportsko čudo! Senzacija u Rimu, 14-godišnjakinja opet srušila seniorski rekord!" (in Croatian). Jutarnji list. Retrieved 13 September 2022. In her other events, she placed twelfth in the 4×100-metre mixed medley relay, thirteenth in the 100-metre freestyle with a Croatian record time of 56.16 seconds (which she tied in the semifinals after establishing in the preliminary heats), eighteenth in the preliminaries of the 100-metre butterfly in 1:01.50 before withdrawing from the semifinals, and she did not start the 50-metre butterfly.
While Pavalić's Croatian record time of 25.28 seconds in the 50-metre freestyle was 0.23 seconds faster than the Olympic selection time, it was not achieved in the qualifying time period for the 2020 Summer Olympics, which ended on 27 June."TOKYO 2020 OLYMPIC GAMES: Qualifying Time Standards - SW". FINA. 21 January 2021. Retrieved 13 March 2023. Her earlier Croatian record time of 25.66 seconds was achieved in the qualifying time period, on 5 June, however, it was 0.15 seconds slower than the selection time and thus she was not invited to compete at the 2020 Olympic Games by the International Olympic Committee, instead the Team Croatia spot went to female swimmer Ema Rajić who achieved an Olympic selection time in a different event."Memo: Qualification System_ Games of the XXXII Olympiad _ Tokyo 2020". FINA. 21 January 2021. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
2021 Swimming World Cup In October, at the 2021 FINA Swimming World Cup stop held at Danube Arena in Budapest, Hungary, and conducted in short course metres, Pavalić placed ninth in the 50-metre butterfly with a Croatian record and personal best time of 26.34 seconds, breaking the former record set by Monika Babok in 2009.FINA (8 October 2021). "FINA Swimming World Cup 2021 Budapest (HUN): Women's 50m Butterfly Heats Results Summary". Omega Timing. Retrieved 24 October 2022.Bauer, Dean (8 October 2021). "Nevjerojatan uspjeh 14-godišnje HR senzacije! Srušila apsolutni državni rekord u briljantnoj izvedbi" (in Croatian). Jutarnji list. Retrieved 24 October 2022."Meri Mataja i Jana Pavalić isplivale hrvatske rekorde" (in Croatian). Croatian Radiotelevision. 11 October 2021. Retrieved 24 October 2022. In her other events, she placed fourth in the 4×50-metre mixed medley relay with a 1:45.84, twelfth in the 50-metre freestyle with a time of 25.18 seconds, twenty-second in the 100-metre freestyle with a 56.26, and was disqualified in the 4×50-metre mixed freestyle relay.FINA (9 October 2021). "FINA Swimming World Cup 2021 Budapest (HUN): Results Book". Omega Timing. Retrieved 24 October 2022. The month following the World Cup, she competed at the Miting Mladost in Zagreb, setting a new Croatian record of 59.16 seconds in the short course 100-metre butterfly.Žukina, Predrag (13 November 2021). "Nova senzacija hrvatskog sporta: 14-godišnja Jana u Zagrebu srušila još jedan seniorski rekord!" (in Croatian). Jutarnji list. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
2021 World Short Course Championships As a 14-year-old in December, Pavalić competed at the 2022 World Short Course Championships, contested at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, placing 37th on day two of competition in her first event, the 100-metre freestyle, with a time of 55.45 seconds.FINA (17 December 2021). "15th FINA World Swimming Championships 2021 Abu Dhabi (UAE): Women's 100m Freestyle Heats Results Summary". Omega Timing. Retrieved 13 September 2022. The following day, she placed 24th in the 50-metre butterfly with a time of 26.47 seconds.FINA (18 December 2021). "15th FINA World Swimming Championships 2021 Abu Dhabi (UAE): Women's 50m Butterfly Heats Results Summary". Omega Timing. Retrieved 13 September 2022. Two days later, she achieved a 28th-place finish in the 50-metre freestyle with a personal best time of 25.09 seconds.FINA (20 December 2021). "15th FINA World Swimming Championships 2021 Abu Dhabi (UAE): Women's 50m Freestyle Heats Results Summary". Omega Timing. Retrieved 13 September 2022.Božičević, Vedran (20 December 2021). "Svjetski rekord Maggie MacNeil, odličan nastup Jane Pavalić koja je oborila hrvatski juniorski rekord" (in Croatian). Jutarnji list. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
2022 2022 European Junior Championships
In the preliminary heats of the 4×100-metre freestyle relay on day one of the 2022 European Junior Swimming Championships, held in July in Otopeni, Romania, Pavalić set a new Croatian record in the 100-metre freestyle with a time of 56.09 seconds, helping qualify the relay to the final ranking eighth with a Croatian record time of 3:49.81.Dragičević, Toma (5 July 2022). "Zapamtite ova imena! Mlade Hrvatice u juniorskoj konkurenciji tri puta rušile seniorske rekorde" (in Croatian). Jutarnji list. Retrieved 13 September 2022.Zrinščak, Tomislav (11 July 2022). "Jana Pavalić brončana na 50 leptir na Europskom juniorskom prvenstvu u Rumunjskoj" (in Croatian). zagorje.com. Retrieved 13 September 2022. She led-off the relay with a 56.10 in the final to help place eighth with a Croatian record time of 3:49.56 and the following day placed eighth in the 4×100-metre mixed freestyle relay, anchoring the relay to a finish in a Croatian record time of 3:34.28 with a split time of 56.92 seconds.LEN (10 July 2022). "Romania 2022 LEN European Junior Swimming Championships: Complete Results Book". Microplus Informatica. Retrieved 13 September 2022. On the third day of competition, she placed fifth in the 50-metre freestyle with a time of 25.45 seconds, finishing 0.23 seconds behind gold medalist Nina Jazy of Germany. The fourth day, she helped place fifteenth in the 4×100-metre mixed medley relay in 4:06.58, splitting a 1:04.63 for the butterfly leg of the relay. The sixth and final day, she won a bronze medal in the 50-metre butterfly with a time of 26.76 seconds, which was 0.13 seconds slower than silver medalist Roos Vanotterdijk of Belgium.
2022 European Youth Olympic Festival On 26 July, Pavalić won the silver medal in the 100-metre freestyle as part of swimming competition at the 2022 European Youth Summer Olympic Festival in Banská Bystrica, Slovakia, finishing second in 56.33 seconds.Slovak Swimming Federation (26 July 2022). "European Youth Olympic Festival: Girls, 100m Freestyle Results Final" . swimrankings.net. Retrieved 13 September 2022."EYOF 2022: Srebrne Ćurković i Pavalić" (in Croatian). Glas Istre. 27 July 2022. Retrieved 13 September 2022."Vratili se hrvatski sportaši s dosad najtrofejnijeg EYOF-a" (in Croatian). Croatian Radiotelevision. 31 July 2022. Retrieved 13 September 2022."Jana Pavalić - novi uspjesi šampionke iz Gornje Stubice" (in Croatian). kzz.hr. 2 August 2022. Retrieved 13 September 2022. Three days later, she won the gold medal in the 50-metre freestyle, finishing first over three-tenths of a seconds ahead of the silver medalist with a time of 25.61 seconds.Slovak Swimming Federation (29 July 2022). "European Youth Olympic Festival: Girls, 50m Freestyle Results Final" . swimrankings.net. Retrieved 13 September 2022."BANSKA BYSTRICA: Plivačica Jana Pavalić osvojila zlato na 50 m slobodno, ukupno 5. zlato za Hrvatsku" (in Croatian). Fenix Magazin. 30 July 2022. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
2022 World Junior Championships