I accept responsibility, but I was lonely on the Olympic road

From the special reporter "Vijesti"

Danijel Furtula was not even close to the final in the discus throw, he achieved a significantly lower result than the personal record set in April this year.

His qualifying shot of 59.93 meters is five and a half meters shorter than the maximum (65.59).

62.93 was enough for the final.

Visibly disappointed after the competition, the three-time Olympian accepted responsibility, but also opened up about some other topics.

"I was motivated, maybe not as ready as in April, when I threw the record, but this result is a chain reaction - organization and logistics did not exist in my preparations," said Furtula.

When asked what he means by logistics, he says:

"First of all ASCG, but also all other institutions - COK, Sports Administration - I can't say that they didn't do anything, but not enough, and I feel that I was alone on this journey. There was no money for preparations, massages, therapy... I was separated from the coach for seven or eight months, I could not see him, nor could he see me, we trained online. All that time I was in the same place, throwing in the same circle... It can't be like that. I didn't want to talk about it, but now it all hurts me, this is the culmination, because it was a historic chance to have a finalist of the Games in athletics. The fault is not only mine, I don't want to accuse anyone, but if we want the Olympic final in athletics, everything has to change. I justifiably think that I deserved better treatment, and this is my best this year, at this moment and in these conditions. Results are not made this way, if the circumstances were different, I would have shown more, the final would not be so far away. "I threw the distance for the final a hundred times, but it is necessary to train all year round, to have all the conditions, in order to be the best at the most important moment", said Furtula.

He said that it is the most difficult for him, because he feels that he could have done much more...

"I will remember Tokyo as long as I live and regret the chance. I have been on the field for 15 years, in mud, rain, wind... This has been hurting me for years, today is the culmination. I'm not looking for an excuse, I'm taking responsibility and, if you can say so, the blame. I throw the discus, but there is a background that stifles us, I'm sure many of us in athletics would have a lot to say on that subject. In this kind of competition, with this kind of logistics, it can hardly do more. If so, then everyone would train at home, in one place, online with a trainer and create results. It can't be like that," Furtula points out and concludes:

"Whoever follows sports and athletics knows what powers Sweden, Germany, the USA, Russia are - we as a small country have potential finalists, and it is irresponsible not to do everything, and I mean the whole system, so that we can compete with the giants. I am afraid that after Tokyo, possibly Paris, we will wait for someone to appear at the Games in individual sports based on the results".