Duje Draganja

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Duje Draganja Personal information Full name: Duje Draganja Nationality:  Croatia Stroke(s): butterfly, freestyle Date of birth: February 27, 1983 (1983-02-27) (age 25) Place of birth: Split, SR Croatia, Yugoslavia Height: 1.96 m Weight: 81 kg

Medal record Competitor for  Croatia Men's Swimming Olympic Games Silver 2004 Athens[1] 50 m freestyle World Championships Silver 2005 Montreal[2] 50 m Freestyle World Championships (SC) Bronze 2004 Indianapolis 50 m butterfly Gold 2006 Shanghai 50 m freestyle Gold 2008 Manchester 50 m freestyle Bronze 2008 Manchester 100 m freestyle European Championships (LC) Bronze 2002 Berlin 100 m freestyle Silver 2006 Budapest 50 m butterfly Bronze 2006 Budapest 50 m freestyle Silver 2008 Eindhoven 50 m freestyle Silver 2008 Eindhoven 4×100 m medley European Championships (SC) Bronze 2000 Valencia 4x50 medley relay Bronze 2001 Antwerp 100 m freestyle Silver 2007 Debrecen 50 m freestyle

Duje Draganja (born February 27, 1983 in Split) is a swimmer from Croatia who won the silver medal in the men's 50 meter freestyle at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece.

Draganja is also a former NCAA record holder in the 100 yard freestyle, with a time of 41.49, set in 2005, while he swam for the University of California, Berkeley. He, like many other world-class, non-American swimmers, chose to spend 4 years training and competing at an American university. During his four years with Cal, Duje won 10 PAC-10 swimming titles, and eight NCAA National championships. While at Cal, he trained with the world-renown sprinting coach Michael Bottom, who still coaches him now.

He has been controversial in Croatia for his decision to take the citizenship of Qatar and continue his swimming career under the flag of that country, after receiving a very lucrative offer to do so. Croatian public opinion largely turned against Draganja at that time with the press portraying him as a villain with no respect for his homeland. Draganja accepted a Qatar passport in August 2005 claiming that he will keep his Croatian passport and will not change his religion.

However, in February 2006, the swimmer made it clear that he had reversed his decision and that he will continue to compete for his country of birth, Croatia.^[3]

Contents 1 Personal bests 1.1 Long course 1.2 Short course 2 Trivia 3 References 4 External links

[edit] Personal bests

[edit] Long course

• 50 meters freestyle - 21.89 NR (Montreal, July 30, 2004)^[4]
• 100 meters freestyle - 48.81 NR (Eindhoven, March 21, 2008)^[4][5]
• 50 meters butterfly - 23.62 NR (Budapest, August 1, 2006)^[4]
• 100 meters butterfly - 52.46 NR (Athens, August 20, 2004)^[4]

[edit] Short course

• 50 meters freestyle - 20.81 WR (Manchester, April 11, 2008)^[6]
• 100 meters freestyle - 46.64 NR (March 2004)^[7]
• 100 meters butterfly - 51.19 NR (Debrecen, December 13, 2007)^[7]

[edit] Trivia

• Name is pronounced "DOO-ye DRAHG-ahn-ya". In an interview while he attended Cal, Draganja said that people tell him his name "DOO-ie" is "the dumbest name you want to have".

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Profile at collegesports.com
• Duje Draganja: Cal swimmer a national hero in Croatia
• Croatian swimmer Draganja to swim for Qatar
• Cash lures from Qatar may lead to rewriting of rulebook
• (Croatian) Duje Draganja srebrni!
• Draganja U-turn
• 2007 Q & A with Duje Draganja

Records
Preceded by Stefan Nystrand	Men's 50 metres Freestyle World Record Holder (Short Course) April 11, 2008 –	Succeeded by Incumbent