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Luka BUKIC
Sport Water Polo
NOC Croatia   
GenderMen
Born30 Apr 1994 in Zagreb, CRO
Height1.95 m
Weight 90 kg
 Human Interest 
Sport Specific Information
Club / Team
Jadran Split: Croatia
Further Personal Information
Higher education
Economics - Zagreb School of Economics and Management: Croatia
General Interest
Hobbies
Listening to music, watching movies and TV, spending time with friends. (dnevnik.hr, 20 Jul 2014; jutarnji.hr, 16 Jan 2016)
Injuries
In June 2019 he had surgery on his appendix and was not able to compete at the 2019 World League in Belgrade, Serbia, and the 2019 World Championships in Gwangju, Republic of Korea. (vecernji.hr, 29 Jun 2019; jutarnji.hr, 14 Jun 2019)

In early 2015 he suffered a knee injury. (vecernji.hr, 30 Jan 2015)

In late 2013 he required four stitches after cutting his right hand during training. (gol.dnevnik.hr, 20 Dec 2013)
Famous relatives
His father Perica won three medals in water polo at the Olympic Games. He won gold for Yugoslavia in 1984 and 1988, and silver for Croatia in 1996. He has served as vice president of the Croatian Water Polo Federation and a member of the National Sports Council. His younger sister Petra has also represented Croatia in water polo. (hvs.hr, 08 Feb 2019; sibenik.in, 10 Nov 2016; roditelji.hr, 11 Aug 2015; 24sata.hr, 20 Jul 2014; sports-reference.com, 2012; SportsDeskOnline, 07 Jan 2022)
Sport Specific Information
Why this sport?
His father introduced him to the sport after teaching him how to swim.
Name of coach
Mile Smodlaka [club], CRO; Ivica Tucak [national], CRO
Further Personal Information
Occupation
Athlete
Sport Specific Information
Preferred position / style / stance / technique
Wing
Handedness
Right
Further Personal Information
Languages
Croatian
General Interest
Other information
BREAK FROM NATIONAL TEAM
After the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro he decided to take a break from the national team. In 2019 he made himself available for selection again. "I don't like to talk about it, but in fact, I not only took a break from the national team, but I was thinking of giving up on water polo. Later, I changed my mind and made arrangements with [national] coach [Ivica] Tucak. I needed this break to see what's next and how things go." (story.hr, 14 Jun 2019; net.hr, 11 Jun 2019; slobodnadalmacija.hr, 14 Jun 2019; 24sata.hr, 18 Jul 2020)

FURTHER STUDIES
In 2017 he started to study international relations and diplomacy at Libertas University in Zagreb, Croatia. (24sata.hr, 18 Jul 2020)
Awards and honours
He was named Most Valuable Player [MVP] of the Final Four of the 2021 Croatian Cup. (jutarnji.hr, 19 Dec 2021)

 Competition Highlights
Olympic Games
Rank Year Venue Event Result
5 2021 Tokyo, JPN Team  
2 2016 Rio de Janeiro, BRA Team  
World Championship
Rank Year Venue Event Result
9 2023 Fukuoka, JPN Team  
4 2022 Budapest, HUN Team  
2 2015 Kazan, RUS Team  
3 2013 Barcelona, ESP Team  
European Championship
Rank Year Venue Event Result
2 2024   Team  
1 2022 Split, CRO Team  
4 2020 Budapest, HUN Team  
7 2016 Belgrade, SRB Team  
5 2014 Budapest, HUN Team