A NEW STAR ON THE GYMNAST SKY - KARLA

Just how many phenomenal kids can we have in our community? Artists, scientists, communicators, athletes...

Here is a story about another fantastic girl from our very own Year 1 pupil - Karla! We sent some questions to Karla and her parents about her incredible career, and they were kind enough to reply in detail.

Karla started dancing at the age of three, and a year later she also began her gymnastics journey at the Dance Academy Zagreb club. At first, she trained twice a week, but her talent and potential were quickly recognized by Ms Slobodanka Tintor, President of the IBFF Fit Kids Federation, who expressed the desire for Karla to compete in championships.

Since then, Karla has been training regularly four times a week for two hours, while before competitions her training sessions occur daily. Her hard work, effort, perseverance, discipline and great love for gymnastics have been rewarded with outstanding results and numerous gold medals. To date, she has won more than 10 championship titles.

As one of the youngest members of the club, Karla has represented her club at many national and international competitions such as Winter Zagreb, the European Championship in Zagreb, and the World Championship in Novalja and Novigrad, among others. She particularly stood out while representing Croatia at the European Championship held in February 2026 in Cyprus, where she defended her gold champion title in competition against participants from as many as 27 countries. This competition remains one of her most cherished memories because of the special atmosphere, valuable experience and great success she achieved there.

Karla’s greatest challenges during training are mastering new elements and constantly pushing her own limits in order to become even more successful. Among her favorite elements, she especially highlights the no-handed cartwheel and the back handspring, both of which require great courage, strength and precision.

In addition to solo performances, Karla also actively participates in her club’s group choreographies, where she further develops team spirit and her love for the sport. Her most recent major competition was the World Finale 2026 in Zagreb, held from May 5th to 10th,where she once again won first place in the Acro Dance Solo Baby category.

However, despite all the titles and medals she has won, the most valuable things to Karla are the life experiences, friendships and sportsmanship she has gained throughout years of training and competing. Her future plans include continuing her dedicated work and improvement for all the competitions and challenges ahead of her. She is currently especially focused on preparations for the autumn competitions in Istanbul and Malta, where she will once again have the opportunity to showcase her talent, hard work and love for gymnastics.

Karla, we are so proud of you!

We hope Karla's story inspires you all to chase after your dreams and make them come true! Go for it!