Klara Končar, a young table tennis player for STK Bjelovar, took third place at the Top 8 tournament for the best juniors in Croatia, held on 18 October in Duga Resa. Her performance of five wins and two losses secured her a bronze position among the country's eight best players.
The Top 8 tournament brings together the eight best players in Croatia in a specific category, played on an all-play-all basis. Each competitor faces seven individual matches, with the final standings reflecting the overall ratio of wins to losses. First place went to Leeloo Han Vukelja of STK Aquaestil with all seven wins, while Lana Benko of Zagreb's Mladost came second with six wins and one loss. Behind Končar, fourth place was claimed by Julija Schweigert of Donji Miholjac with a 4:3 record, and sixth place went to Sara Rivetti of STK Zagreb with three wins and four losses. The final tournament standings were: Leeloo Han Vukelja (Aquaestil) 7:0, Lana Benko (Mladost) 6:1, Klara Končar (STK Bjelovar) 5:2, Julija Schweigert (Donji Miholjac) 4:3, Sara Rivetti (STK Zagreb) 3:4, Elena Vukovac (Aquaestil) 2:5, Petra Gašpar (Mladost) 1:6 and Mia Horvatiček (Dugo Selo) 0:7.
By age, Končar belongs to the younger junior category, but this did not prevent her from securing a high position among the older juniors. Her result carries additional weight as she has been called up to the A programme of the Croatian junior national team. In addition, she competed at the WTT Youth Contender Lignano 2026 international tournament in Italy under the guidance of head coach Ivana Malobabić. That tournament gathered 240 young table tennis players from 35 countries around the world.
In Lignano, Končar played on Sunday, 25 October, in the U17 category group stage, where she recorded two losses and failed to qualify for the final phase of the competition. According to the club's announcement, she was also expected to compete in the older U19 category. On home soil, at the 16th Bjelovar City Cup, she took second place in the junior competition, with the final match against Franka Mišković ending 3:2 in her opponent's favour.
Končar is a member of the STK Bjelovar women's team, which competes in the 1. Hrvatska liga – Istok (First Croatian League – East). In the current part of the season, she has achieved all five of her individual wins, confirming her consistent form and important role in her team.
