Ivan Karačić

Ivan Karačić

Personal information
Born	26 May 1985 Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina, SFR Yugoslavia
Height	1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)
Weight	89 kilograms (196 lb)
Playing position	Centre back
Club information
Current club	Kadetten Schaffhausen
Number	4
Senior clubs
2007–2008 2008–2012 2012–2015 2015-2016 2016-	HMRK Zrinjski Mostar HRK Izviđač Ljubuški RK Borac Banja Luka HC Meshkov Brest HC Minaur Baia Mare Kadetten Schaffhausen
National team ^1
2011–	Bosnia and Herzegovina	51 (116)[1]
^1 National team caps and goals correct as of 27 January 2016

Ivan Karačić (born 26 May 1985, Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina) is a Bosnian handball player.

Currently he plays for Kadetten Schaffhausen. Karačić previously played for: HMRK Zrinjski Mostar, Izviđač, RK Borac Banja Luka, HC Meshkov Brest .^[2] and HC Minaur Baia Mare

Ivan made his debut for the national team of Bosnia and Herzegovina on August 16, 2004, in a friendly match against the Croatia in Pula. The first official game he played on June 8, 2011 against Hungary. In 51 games played Karačić scored 116 goals which makes him one of the most effective representatives of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Club career

This brilliant centre back made his first handball steps in his hometown of Mostar, playing for HRMK Zrinjski, after which he transferred to RK Izviđač, in 2007. After a good season and 132 goals scored he was noticed by scouts of RK Borac, Banja Luka, one of the most successful clubs in former Yugoslavia who won the Champions Cup in 1976, in the next season played in the final of this prestigious competition. and won the EHF Cup in 1991. Playing for Borac he won the Bosnian National Cup in 2011 and played in EHF Cup. After 4 successful seasons in Borac he transferred to the Belarusian club Meshkov in 2012, with whom he has won two consecutive championships in seasons 2013/2014 and 2014/2015, as well as the National cup. in 2013 they were the winners of the regular SEHA league, and in the next two seasons finalists of the this European competition. in the current season he moved to the Romanian first division team HC Minaur Baia Mare who made a big surprise during season 2014/2015 winning the National championship and provided performance in the EHF Champions League. Start of the season was marked by injuries, but in the last 6 matches Ivan scored 64 goals in the championship and 24 goals in last 4 matches of EHF Championship League. At the beginning of February 2016 he moved to Kaddeten Schaufhausen.

Bosnian national team

With the national team of Bosnia and Herzegovina he fulfilled his childhood dream and competed at the World Championships in Qatar. He was one of the bravest players Bosnian team who used to play games with both broken hands. "The team of Bosnia and Herzegovina has given me everything and now I will make it repay with every ounce of energy I have given this team. There is nothing in the world that can stop me to die for the team. All boys from Herzegovina yearn for the Croatian national team. Of course, it has objective reasons. Croatian national team is a world brand. All the players would like to play every competition for a medal. Now this is another image, lots of young boys would rather go to play for Bosnia and Herzegovina because it opens the opportunity, now when we qualified for the World Cup", said Karačić after reaching his team to the championship in Qatar.

Personal life

Ivan Karačić comes from sports family. Three years younger brother, Igor Karačić plays for the Macedonian champion team Vardar from Skopje, while the youngest brother, 19 -year-old Goran is a goal keaper at the football club Zrinjski from Mostar. All of them are playing for national teams - Ivan is the member of the senior national team of Bosnia and Herzegovina, while Goran plays for the U-19 national team of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The middle brother Igor successfully performs for Croatian handball team.

It 's an interesting story that attracted the attention of domestic and international media during the last World Cup in Qatar when the brothers Igor and Ivan played against each other in the group stage meeting between the Croatian and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Igor was more successful scoring 7 goals in the 28:21 victory of Croatian team.

Karačić brothers have always had the support of their father Ante, who says that family have always been firmly on the ground, but to a lot of effort, work and sacrifice his sons invested in their cereers was given back through sports success.

References

1. "2015 World Championship Roster" (PDF). IHF. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
2. EHF profile