Velimir Kljaić

Velimir Kljaić
Kljaić with Croatia during the 1996 Summer Olympics
Personal information
Full name Velimir Kljaić
Born (1946-02-10)10 February 1946
Šibenik, FPR Yugoslavia
Died 12 August 2010(2010-08-12) (aged 64)
Zagreb, Croatia
Nationality Croatian
Youth career
Team
–
 RK Medveščak Zagreb
Senior clubs
Years Team
1963–1976
 RK Medveščak Zagreb
1976–1980
 Klagenfurt
Teams managed
1980–1984
 RK Medveščak Zagreb
1984–1988
 TuSpo Nürnberg
1988–1992
 SG Wallau-Massenheim
1992–1994
 TV Grosswallstadt
1994–1996
 TUSEM Essen
1996
 Croatia
1996–1998
 SG Wallau-Massenheim
1998–1999
 Croatia
1998–1999
 Badel 1862 Zagreb
2000–2001
 Egypt
2001–2002
 Kuwait
2004–2005
 GWD Minden
2005–2006
 VfL Gummersbach
2006
 RK Lokomotiva Zagreb
2007–2008
 TuS Nettelstedt-Lübbecke
Medal record
Men's handball
Head Coach for  Croatia
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1996 Atlanta Team
Head Coach for  Egypt
African Championship
Gold medal – first place 2000 Algeria
Head Coach for  Kuwait
Asian Championship
Gold medal – first place 2002 Iran

Velimir Kljaić (10 February 1946 – 12 August 2010) was a Croatian handball player and coach.[1]

Career

As a player Kljaić played with RK Medveščak Zagreb and Klagenfurt. As a coach, he won two Croatian championships with RK Zagreb and one Cup. In Germany he was the Coach of the Year in 1992, in which he won German championship and the Cup with SG Wallau-Massenheim.[1]

As head coach of Croatia men's team he won the gold medal in the 1996 Summer Olympics.[1][2]

He was also head coach of the national teams of Egypt and Kuwait.[1]

Personal life

Kljaić was born in the village of Danilo Gornje, administrative part of Šibenik. He was the father of the former handballer Nenad Kljaić who was a part of Croatia's squad in the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta.[3]

Velimir Kljaić died on 12 August 2010 of lung cancer in Zagreb.[4] He was buried five days after his death in Zagreb.[5]

Honours

Player

Medveščak

Manager

Medveščak
Wallau-Massenheim
Croatia
Zagreb
Egypt
Kuwait
Gummersbach

Individual

References

  1. ^ a b c d Strahija, Ivana (12 August 2010). "Preminuo Velimir Kljaić". sportnet.rtl.hr (in Croatian). Retrieved 26 July 2012.
  2. ^ "VIDEO: Umro tvorac prvog hrvatskog olimpijskog zlata Velimir Kljaić". Jutarnji list. Retrieved 26 July 2012.
  3. ^ Vukelić, Zvonimir (13 August 2010). "Nenad Kljaić: I tata bi tako htio..." Jutarnji list (in Croatian). Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  4. ^ "Nakon teške bolesti umro rukometni velikan Velimir Kljaić". Slobodna Dalmacija (in Croatian). 12 August 2010. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
  5. ^ "Posljednjim pljeskom ispraćen Velimir Kljaić (FOTOGALERIJA)". Slobodna Dalmacija (in Croatian). 17 August 2010. Retrieved 25 January 2021.