Željko Panić

Željko Panić (born May 5, 1976) is a Bosnian former swimmer, who specialized in sprint freestyle events.[1]

Željko Panić
Personal information
Full nameŽeljko Panić
National team Bosnia and Herzegovina
Born (1976-05-05) 5 May 1976
Split, SR Croatia, SFR Yugoslavia
Height2.00 m (6 ft 7 in)
Weight96 kg (212 lb)
Sport
SportSwimming
StrokesFreestyle
ClubPK Borac Incel (BIH)

Panić was born in Split, SR Croatia, SFR Yugoslavia, where he first started to train in swimming in 1987. While in Split, he was also coached and trained by Đurđica Bjedov, a two-time breaststroke gold medalist.[2] In 1991, he moved to Banja Luka in SR Bosnia, where he became a resident swimmer for PK Borac Incel.[2]

Panic made his official debut at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, where he competed in the men's 100 m freestyle. He touched out Venezuela's Francisco Sánchez to take the seventh spot and forty-ninth overall in the sixth heat by 0.03 of a second in 52.40.[3]

At the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Panic qualified again for the men's 100 m freestyle by eclipsing a FINA B-standard entry time of 52.12 from the Croatian Open Championships in Zagreb.[4] He challenged seven other swimmers on the second heat, including fellow Olympic veterans Alexandr Agafanov of Uzbekistan and Camilo Becerra of Colombia. Panic raced to third place by 0.18 of a second behind Becerra, outside his entry time of 52.75. Panic failed to advance into the semifinals, as he placed fifty-fifth overall in the preliminaries.[5][6]

Shortly after the Olympics, Panic retired from his sport to work as an assistant coach and later as a sports director for the Olympic Swimming Club (Serbian Latin: Plivački klub Olimp) in Banja Luka.[2]

References
  1. Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Željko Panić". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 19 April 2013.
  2. Babić, Jelena (13 October 2007). "Željko Panić: "Nikada se ne predajem"" [Zeljko Panic: "Never surrender"] (in Serbian). Nezavisne novine. Retrieved 19 April 2013.
  3. "Sydney 2000: Swimming – Men's 100m Freestyle Heat 6" (PDF). Sydney 2000. LA84 Foundation. p. 115. Retrieved 19 April 2013.
  4. "Swimming – Men's 100m Freestyle Startlist (Heat 2)" (PDF). Athens 2004. Omega Timing. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
  5. "Men's 100m Freestyle Heat 2". Athens 2004. BBC Sport. 18 August 2004. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
  6. Thomas, Stephen (18 August 2004). "Men's 100 Freestyle Prelims Day 4: Lezak, Crocker Fail to Qualify. Hoogie Best with 48.70". Swimming World Magazine. Archived from the original on 3 April 2007. Retrieved 19 April 2013.
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