(24 May 2025)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Samobor, Croatia – 14 May 2025
++MUTE++
1. Various aerials of view of Samobor town
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Samobor, Croatia – 12 May 2025
2. Fitness coach, Djurdja Vukovic, seen walking towards camera
3. Sign on gym reading “Sports Society ‘Sports For Everyone’ Samobor”
4. Various of elderly women doing exercises led by Vukovic
5. Various of women stretching arms and hands
6. Vukovic chatting with her class attendees
7. SOUNDBITE (Croatian) Djurdja Vukovic, fitness coach
“For me, I found a haven here. When my mother was ill, and later when she died, that grief would have destroyed me if there hadn’t been this. Because it’s not just about physical exercise, it’s just as much about talking to people and mingling. There are invitations to go to the theater, there are book recommendations, for this author or that one. There’s a lot of talking, and also whatever you say here, it sort of stays here. Outside of very close friends, you can’t share your problems with anyone else, like you can here. So it works as an emotional outlet, which helped me a great deal in my private life.”
8. Vukovic lying on the floor on her side and counting exercise movements
9. SOUNDBITE (Croatian) Djurdja Vukovic, fitness coach
“This is also great because it allows people to stare at TV screens much less, and spend less time with these disastrous daily news, which actually make you ask yourself what’s living about. But life is merely a blink of an eye. We get born, we live through some period, one way or another – and then you disappear from the world, like you were never here in the first place.”
10. Various of women doing breathing and stretching exercises
11. SOUNDBITE (Croatian) Snjezana Platonic, pensioner from Samobor
“A friend of mine told me there was this nice meetup every week where they do exercises that people of our age need. I was in my early 60s, and I decided to try it. I’m generally in good physical condition myself, but years are going by, things are getting serious. But since I tried it I kept going regularly, and I feel excellent doing it.”
12. Wide of Vukovic and other women doing light exercise in gym
13. SOUNDBITE (Croatian) Bozica Birin, pensioner from Samobor
“I decided to do this because of health problems, that was my number one reason. But also, spending time together is also important. After our training we like to go have coffee, hang out together, we sometimes go on day trips together. So this kind of continues outside of the gym, and it allows us to have an active lifestyle.”
14. Wide of women in gym
15. Vukovic exiting the gym building and walking towards camera
16. Various of Vukovic shopping at farmer’s market
17. Tracking shot following Vukovic leaving farmer’s market
STORYLINE:
LEADIN:
From arm stretches to gentle pilates, a group of pensioners in Croatia are keeping active well into their later years.
At the heart of it all is fitness trainer 95-year-old Djurdja Vukovic — still leading the way, and showing no signs of slowing down.
STORYLINE:
Nestled in the rolling hills just west of Croatia’s capital is the town of Samobor.
Here, one woman has become somewhat of a local legend, leading a community gym.
At 95 years old, this is Djurdja Vukovic.
Twice a week, she guides elderly women through a mix of light aerobics, stretching and pilates – movements she’s honed herself over more than five decades.
A former pharmaceutical engineer, Vukovic’s passion for movement began in 1964.
She says she has made friendships that have endure beyond the gym.
AP Video by Sasa Kavic
Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/
You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/aeec80c1eb504709a84b299cc287747f
Author: AP Archive
Go to Source
News post in May 29, 2025, 3:05 am.
Visit Our Sponsor’s:
News Post In – News
