Helena Dretar Karic

Started: She took up the sport in 2004 in Croatia. (Athlete, 27 Jul 2016) Reason: During her rehabilitation she met people who were involved in Para sport and decided to try Para table tennis. "The sport was well-developed in Croatia. At first, I only played Para table tennis recreationally because I could not fully devote myself to training due to work." (generacija.hr, 20 Dec 2021; 24sata.hr, 21 Mar 2021; Athlete, 27 Jul 2016) Ambition: To win a medal at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (hpo.hr, 12 Sep 2023) Awards: In 2021 she and her teammate Andela Muzinic were named Best Team by Sportske Novosti in Croatia. (Hrvatski Paraolimpijski Odbor Instagram profile, 27 Dec 2021) She and Andela Muzinic were named Best Team of the 20 years from 2000-2020 by the Croatian Paralympic Committee. (24sata.hr, 21 Mar 2021) In 2017 she received the Franjo Bucar State Award for Sport from the Croatian Ministry of Science, Education and Sports. (hpo.hr, 17 Jan 2017) In 2016 she and Andela Muzinic were named Best Female Team by Sportske Novosti in Croatia. (paralympic.org, 25 Jan 2017; Paraolimpijac Facebook page, 18 Dec 2016) In 2016 she received the Order of Danica Hrvatska with the face of Franjo Bucar from the president of Croatia. (hpo.hr, 16 Dec 2016) Additional Info: TEAMMATE She met her doubles partner Andela Muzinic after Muzinic was involved in a car accident at age 13. Dretar Karic played handball before her accident, and Muzinic competed in volleyball before hers. The pair won gold in women's doubles at the 2023 European Championships in Sheffield, England. "Andela's mother asked me to talk to her, to explain to her that life doesn't stop because we are in wheelchairs. We are so successful in the team event because we both played team sports. We complement each other very well." (hpo.hr, 12 Sep 2023; 24sata.hr, 21 Mar 2021)