Sport Specific Information |
Club / Team |
Lugano Pallanuoto: Switzerland |
General Interest |
Famous relatives |
His older brother Goran competed in water polo for Italy at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, and his father Branko Jovanovic played the sport for Yugoslavia at international level. (sportivanervi.it, 16 Nov 2011; ilgiornale.it, 31 Jul 2011) |
Sport Specific Information |
Name of coach |
Carmine Argentiero [club], ITA |
Further Personal Information |
Languages |
English, Italian |
Occupation |
Athlete |
General Interest |
Awards and honours |
In 2012 he received the Gold Collar of Sporting Merit from the Italian National Olympic Committee [CONI]. (sicilia.coni.it, 17 Apr 2012) |
Other information |
RETURN TO SWITZERLAND
After representing Italy in international events and competing in Serie A1 in Italy, in 2015 he decided to return to his hometown of Lugano, Switzerland, to spend more time with his family and pursue a degree in physiotherapy at the University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland [SUPSI]. "I preferred to return to a place that I knew well. I could have continued in Italy, but my daughter was about to be born. In Switzerland I also have the opportunity to start a new course of study. The choice was therefore not difficult." (cdt.ch, 28 Jun 2019)
FROM CROATIA TO ITALY
He was born in Split, Croatia, but moved to Lugano, Switzerland, at age two because his father was coaching water polo there. He was still a child when he moved to Italy, the birth place of his mother. He was invited to play for the Croatian national team in 2005 but rejected the offer in favour of competing for Italy. (gazzetta.it, 29 Aug 2010) |
Further Personal Information |
Family |
Wife Ingrid, daughter Nicol |
General Interest |
Memorable sporting achievement |
Competing at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. (ticinowelcome.ch, 15 Mar 2018) |
Sport Specific Information |
Why this sport? |
He followed his father and his brother into the sport. "We are simply an aquatic family. I started going to the pool a lot. I tried this sport, I actually liked it, and so I continued." |
Further Personal Information |
Higher education |
Physiotherapy - University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland: Switzerland |
