Janica Kostelić, Queen of the Olympics in Salt Lake City

With her final victory in the giant slalom, after winning in the combined and in the slalom, on top of the silver in the super-G, at the age of 20, Croat Janica Kostelić became the first female ski racer of all time to win three gold medals in the same Olympic Games. Thanks to that historical exploit, Croatia rose to 11th among countries with medals. On her triumphal return to Zagreb, she was welcomed by Prime Minister Ivica Račan.

2003

21 February

Photo: HINA

Croatia applies for EU membership

During the Greek presidency of the European Union, Croatian Prime Minister Ivica Račan travelled to Athens where he submitted Croatia's official application for accession to the EU to his Greek colleague Kóstas Simitis. Because of the war Croatia faced in the early 1990s, this application came a decade after the applications of other Central European countries. For comparison, the war damage, estimated at 37 billion dollars, accounted for 160% of Croatian pre-war GDP, while the damage from the 2011 tsunami and earthquake in Japan accounted for 8% of Japan's GDP.