Waterpolo legend Mirko Sandic passes away

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Waterpolo legend Mirko Sandic passes away

Δημοσίευσηαπό Lambros10 » Τρί Δεκ 26, 2006 5:31 pm

One of the best and most respected waterpolo players in history, 1968 Olympic gold medallist Mirko Sandic, died yesterday in Belgrade, Serbia at the age of 64. The four-times Olympian was a tough, hard-playing player and striker, who was the best player and scorer on the Yugoslav national team for many tournaments. Sandic was born on the 9 May 1942 in Belgrade, Yugoslavia and played 235 games and scored 252 goals for the national team of former Yugoslavia during an extra-ordinary career that lasted from 1958 to 1974.

He won many medals, however, the most important was the gold medal at the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City, Mexico and silver at the 1964 Games in Tokyo, Japan. At the European Championships he has two bronze medals in 1966 and 1970. He also played on the 1960 Rome Olympic Team (fourth) and the 1972 Munich Olympic Team (fifth). At the 1972 Games in Munich, Germany Sandic carried the Yugoslav flag at the opening ceremony. As member of VK Partizan Belgrade he won five European Club Championships, including the first European Champions Cup in 1964, and eleven national championships until his retirement as player in 1974.

Sandic is a graduate of The University of Foreign Affairs and became a commercial manager for JAT Yugoslav Airlines, serving in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. It was during this time that he became coach and trainer of the Singapore national team (1975-1980 winning the bronze medal at the Bangkok Asian Games), The VK GOC (1980-1982), VK Partizan (1980-1983) and the Egyptian National Team (1983-1987). He was coach of the Malaysian National Team (1976), New South Wales State Team (1977) and the Queensland State Team (1978).

In his career as official Sandic also was the President of Yugoslavian Waterpolo Federation, member of LEN Technical committee from 1998 to 2004. In 1999 he was introduced to the Swimming Hall of Fame in Fort Lauterdale, USA. At the time of his death, he was the President of Serbian Waterpolo Federation. Mirko was very tall and great player who was also in the "Guinness Book of the Records" as the man with the biggest heart in the world. The place and time of the funeral are not known yet.
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Lambros10
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Εγγραφή: Τρί Ιαν 18, 2005 5:09 pm

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