Asim Medić (born 3 August 1969) is a Bosnian

sitting volleyball Sitting volleyball is a form of volleyball for athletes with a disability organized by World ParaVolley. As opposed to standing volleyball, sitting volleyball players must sit on the floor to play. History Sitting volleyball was invented in t ...

player. A member of the Bosnia and Herzegovina national sitting volleyball team, he won medals at the

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2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

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2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

and

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Biography

Medić was born on 3 August 1969 in

Stari Grad, Sarajevo Stari Grad ( sr-cyrl, Стари Град, ; lit. "Old Town") is a municipality of the city of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is the oldest and most historically significant part of Sarajevo. At its heart is the Baščaršija, the old tow ...

, Yugoslavia, where he grew up. As a youth, he competed as a

sport shooter Shooting sports is a group of competitive and recreational sporting activities involving proficiency tests of accuracy, precision and speed in shooting — the art of using ranged weapons, mainly small arms (firearms and airguns, in forms such ...

, winning the junior national championship of Yugoslavia in 1986 and later the national championship. He served in the

Bosnian War The Bosnian War ( / Рат у Босни и Херцеговини) was an international armed conflict that took place in Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. Following several earlier violent incid ...

and in 1993, was hit by an artillery shell that tore his leg off. According to the

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, "It felt like the end of life, but part of the rehabilitation doctors recommended was playing sports, especially to fight off depression." Medić joined the club SDI Spid in 1995. He was a shooting instructor and competed as a shooter, winning a Bosnian championship that year. He recalled that for a few months, he was invited to play

by members of the club, but initially was not interested. In 1996, he agreed to try out the sport and quickly showed talent. He was called up to the Bosnia and Herzegovina national sitting volleyball team in 1997. Medić remained a member of the national team in subsequent years and contributed to their successes at international competitions, with Bosnia winning a bronze medal at the European Championships in 1997, which was followed by a gold medal in 1999 and further titles in 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, and 2015. Bosnia then won a bronze in 2017, a silver in 2019, and then another title in 2021 and their 11th European Championship in 2023. He has also competed in some of Bosnia's appearances at the World Para Volleyball Championship, with the national team winning bronze in 1998, gold in 2002, 2006, and 2014, and silver in 2010, 2018, and 2022. Medić has competed for Bosnia at every

Summer Paralympics The Summer Paralympics, also known as the Games of the Paralympiad, are an international multi-sport event where athletes with physical disabilities compete. This includes athletes with mobility disabilities, amputations, blindness, and cerebr ...

since 2000, contributing to their gold medals in 2004 and 2012, silver medals in 2000, 2008, 2016, and 2024, and a bronze medal in 2020. From 2000 to 2016, Bosnia reached the finals at every Paralympics, and Medić is one of five Bosnians – along with Ismet Godinjak, Dževad Hamzić, Sabahudin Delalić and Adnan Manko – to have won seven career Paralympic medals. He has also competed for Bosnia in sitting beach volleyball, and his club, SDI Spid, has been very successful, having won 18 national championships by 2016. Medić was honored as the Best Para Athlete in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1998 and 1999. He was named the Best Athlete at the 1998 European Champions Cup, and in 2020, he was given the Recognition Award from World ParaVolley, for his "contribution towards sitting volleyball and the development of the sport." Medić lives in Sarajevo and has a son. He runs a restaurant in the Sarajevo neighborhood of Grbavica, called "Plavi zamak".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Medić, Asim 1969 births Living people Place of birth missing (living people) Bosnia and Herzegovina men's sitting volleyball players Volleyball players at the 2000 Summer Paralympics Volleyball players at the 2004 Summer Paralympics Volleyball players at the 2008 Summer Paralympics Volleyball players at the 2012 Summer Paralympics Volleyball players at the 2016 Summer Paralympics Volleyball players at the 2020 Summer Paralympics Volleyball players at the 2024 Summer Paralympics Paralympic volleyball players for Bosnia and Herzegovina Medalists at the 2000 Summer Paralympics Medalists at the 2004 Summer Paralympics Medalists at the 2008 Summer Paralympics Medalists at the 2012 Summer Paralympics Medalists at the 2016 Summer Paralympics Medalists at the 2020 Summer Paralympics Medalists at the 2024 Summer Paralympics Paralympic medalists in volleyball Paralympic gold medalists for Bosnia and Herzegovina Paralympic silver medalists for Bosnia and Herzegovina Paralympic bronze medalists for Bosnia and Herzegovina 20th-century Bosnia and Herzegovina sportsmen 21st-century Bosnia and Herzegovina sportsmen