Renato Vrbičić (21 November 1970 – 12 June 2018) was a Croatian professional
water polo
Water polo is a competitive team sport played in water between two teams of seven players each. The game consists of four quarters in which the teams attempt to score goals by throwing the ball into the opposing team's goal. The team with the ...
player and coach who was a member of the senior
Croatia national team, that won the silver medal at the
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...
held in Atlanta.
He died in a sleep at his home in
Šibenik
Šibenik () is a historic city in Croatia, located in central Dalmatia, where the river Krka flows into the Adriatic Sea. Šibenik is a political, educational, transport, industrial and tourist center of Šibenik-Knin County, and is also the ...
on 12 June 2018, due to a
heart attack
A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...
. He was buried in his hometown on 14 June 2018.
Playing career
As a player, Vrbičić spent most of his career with hometown club
VK Šibenik
Vaterpolski klub Šibenik ( en, Šibenik Water Polo Club), commonly known as VK Šibenik or simply Šibenik, was a men's professional water polo club from the town on the Croatian coast called Šibenik. Club offices were on address Prilaz tvornici ...
. He was a part of the senior
Croatia national team at the
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...
held in Atlanta, where they have won the silver medal.
Coaching career
After he finished his playing career, Vrbičić worked as an assistant coach of the junior men's
Croatia national team and as assistant coach to his former teammate Denis Šupe at
VK Adriatic bench.
In 2015, Vrbičić was appointed as the head coach of the newly formed
VK Solaris
Vaterpolski klub Solaris ( en, Solaris Water Polo Club), commonly referred to as VK Solaris or simply Solaris, is a men's professional water polo club based in Šibenik, Croatia. As of 2022–22 season, it competes in the Croatian First League and ...
. In June 2018, following his death,
Joško Kreković replaced him.
See also
*
List of Olympic medalists in water polo (men)
Men's water polo has been part of the Summer Olympics program since 1900. Hungary men's national water polo team has won sixteen Olympic medals, becoming the most successful country in men's tournament.
There are fifty-nine male athletes who have ...
References
External links
*
1970 births
2018 deaths
Croatian male water polo players
Croatian water polo coaches
Olympic silver medalists for Croatia in water polo
Water polo players at the 1996 Summer Olympics
Medalists at the 1996 Summer Olympics
Sportspeople from Šibenik
Croatian expatriate sportspeople in Italy
Expatriate water polo players
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