Dejan Savić

Dejan Savić (Serbian Cyrillic: Дејан Савић; born 24 April 1975) is a Serbian professional water polo coach and former player. During his playing career, he was part of two Olympic bronze medal squads, one for FR Yugoslavia at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, the other for Serbia at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, and one Olympic silver medal squad for Serbia and Montenegro at the 2004 Olympics in Athens.

Dejan Savić
Savić coaching Serbia at the 2015 World Championships
Personal information
Born (1975-04-24) 24 April 1975
Belgrade, SR Serbia, SFR Yugoslavia
Nationality Serbian
Height 195 cm (6 ft 5 in)
Weight 105 kg (231 lb)
Handedness R
Club information
Current team Serbia (2012–present)
Senior clubs
Years Team
1989–1998
 Partizan
1998–2000
 Barcelona
2000–2001
 Atlètic-Barceloneta
2001–2003
 Florentia
2003–2005
 Pro Recco
2005–2010
 Sintez
2010–2011
 Crvena Zvezda
Medal record
Representing  FR Yugoslavia,
 Serbia and Montenegro
and  Serbia
Olympic Games
2004 Athens
2000 Sydney
2008 Beijing
World Championships
2005 Montreal
2001 Fukuoka
1998 Perth
2003 Barcelona
European Championship
2001 Budapest
2003 Kranj
2006 Belgrade
1997 Seville
2008 Málaga
FINA World League
2005 Belgrade
2006 Athens
2007 Berlin
2008 Genova
2004 Long Beach
FINA World Cup
2006 Budapest
2002 Belgrade
Mediterranean Games
1997 Bari
Universiade
1995 Fukuoka
Head Coach for  Serbia
Olympic Games
2016 Rio de Janeiro
World Championship
2015 Kazan
2017 Budapest
European Championship
2014 Budapest
2016 Belgrade
2018 Barcelona
FINA World Cup
2014 Almaty
2018 Berlin
FINA World League
2013 Chelyabinsk
2014 Dubai
2015 Bergamo
2016 Huizhou
2017 Ruza
2019 Belgrade
Mediterranean Games
2018 Tarragona

Savić started training with the Partizan water polo club at the age of five and he debuted for the first team (seniors) at the age of thirteen, while still a pupil in elementary school. His last club was VK Crvena Zvezda where he was team captain. He retired from active playing at the end of the 2010/11 season. At international level, Savić represented FR Yugoslavia, Serbia and Montenegro and Serbia, in 444 matches and scored 405 goals. He is the most capped player in Serbian water polo.

He began coaching VK Crvena Zvezda in 2011, and also became head coach of the Serbia men's national water polo team in autumn 2012.

Club career as coach

Crvena Zvezda

In 2011, after finishing his long playing career, Savić remained with his club Crvena Zvezda in the position of head coach.

National career

Savić is one of a few sportspeople who won Olympic medals in water polo as players and head coaches.[1][2]

As player

Savić made his debut for the national team in 1994, during a time of sanctions for Yugoslavia, following All-Star selections in a tournament in Italy. He became the standard no. five (wing) player for the team almost without a break over the whole of his national career. Holding the record for the highest number of matches played (444), and also being a highly successful scorer (405 goals), he is considered to be among the true legends of Serbian sports. During his career, from a player in charge of sifting the opposing networks, he developed into the strongest pillar of Serbia's defense in front of the goal. With his power and imagination, he was a prominent member of the team. From 1997, Savić was part of the Yugoslav/Serbian water polo team in every competition in which they won a medal. In a duel with Montenegro at the 2008 Olympic Games, he was one of the players most responsible for Serbia's triumph when they won the bronze medal that year. Savić played his last match with the national team in China in 2011.

As coach

Savić was named as head coach of the Serbian National team after Dejan Udovičić left the position in 2012. Under Savić's leadership, the national team won the 2016 Olympic Games, the 2015 World Championship, three European Championships (2014, 2016 and 2018), and six World League titles (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2019). In little over twelve months, between August 2015 and August 2016, the Serbian National team won consecutively all four of the biggest titles in Water Polo – the 2015 World Championship, the 2016 European Championship, the 2016 World League, and the 2016 Olympic Games – an unprecedented achievement.

Honours

VK Partizan
  • National Championship of Yugoslavia: 1994–95
  • National Cup of Yugoslavia: 1989–90, 1990–91, 1991–92, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1994–95
  • LEN Cup: 1997–98
  • LEN Supercup: 1991
  • LEN Cup Winners' Cup: 1990
  • Mediterranean Championship: 1989

CN Barcelona

CN Atlètic-Barceloneta

Rari Nantes Florentia

Pro Recco

Sintez Kazan
  • National Championship of Russia: 2006–07
  • National Cup of Russia: 2004–05, 2009–10
  • LEN Cup: 2006–07

VK Crvena Zvezda
  • National Championship of Serbia: 2012–13 and 2013–14
  • National Cup of Serbia: 2012–13 and 2013–14
  • Regional A2 League: 2017/18
  • LEN Champions League: 2012–13
  • LEN Supercup: 2013–14

Individual honours

It was announced on 1 June 2010 that Dejan Savić won the national sports award, which includes lifetime monthly fees. Savić was honored for winning a silver medal at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.[3]

See also

References
  1. "Dejan Savić". sports-reference.com. Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020.
  2. "Official Results Book – 2016 Olympic Games – Water Polo" (PDF). olympic.org. IOC. pp. 6, 132. Archived from the original on 18 December 2018. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
  3. "Savić dobio nacionalno priznanje". na dlanu. 16 June 2010.
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