Milorad Čavić

Milorad Čavić

Milorad Čavić at the 2008 Beijing Olympics
Personal information
Full name	Milorad Čavić
Nickname(s)	Čavke, Čava, Majkula, Mike
National team	Yugoslavia (2000–2003)  Serbia and Montenegro (2003–2006)  Serbia (2006–)
Born	May 31, 1984 Anaheim, California, United States
Height	1.97 m (6 ft 6 in)
Weight	93 kg (205 lb)
Sport
Sport	Swimming
Strokes	Butterfly, freestyle
Club	Plivački klub Partizan
College team	University of California, Berkeley
Medal record Competitor for  Serbia and Montenegro and  Serbia Olympic Games 2008 Beijing 100 m butterfly World Championships (LC) 2009 Rome 50 m butterfly 2009 Rome 100 m butterfly European Championships (LC) 2008 Eindhoven 50 m butterfly 2012 Debrecen 100 m butterfly European Championships (SC) 2003 Dublin 100 m butterfly 2006 Helsinki 100 m butterfly 2007 Debrecen 50 m butterfly 2007 Debrecen 100 m butterfly 2008 Rijeka 100 m butterfly 2003 Dublin 50 m freestyle 2006 Helsinki 50 m freestyle 2008 Rijeka 50 m butterfly

Milorad Čavić (Serbian Cyrillic: Милорад Чавић, pronounced [mîloraːd tʃǎːʋitɕ]; born May 31, 1984) is a retired US-born Serbian swimmer.

Swimming career

Born in Anaheim, California and a citizen of both Serbia and the United States, he attended Tustin High School in California, where he set four CIF records and a national high school mark in the 50 yd freestyle.^[1] While swimming for the University of California, Berkeley and training with Mike Bottom, Čavić set a new school and Pac-10 record in the 100 yd butterfly (45.44 s).

Representing Serbia at the European Short Course Swimming Championships in Dublin 2003, Čavić won the gold medal in 100 m butterfly and set a new world record. He also won a silver medal in 50 m freestyle. Čavić defended his European 100 m title on subsequent short-course championships in Helsinki 2006 (finishing 50.63), Debrecen 2007 (finishing at 50.53) and Rijeka 2008 (finishing at 49.19 and setting a new European record).^[2] He also took silver on 50 m butterfly in Rijeka.^[3]

On December 14, 2007 Čavić defended his European championship in the 100 m butterfly in Helsinki, finishing at 50.63 seconds. On December 14, 2007, the sprinter defended his European championship again in the 100 m butterfly in Debrecen, finishing at 50.53 seconds.

In 2008, Čavić won the European championship in the 50 m butterfly, setting the new European record (23.11) in Eindhoven, Holland – a result briefly quashed when the European Swimming Federation (LEN) immediately disqualified the swimmer for wearing a T-shirt at the medals ceremony that read “Kosovo is Serbia”.^[4]

At the end of the year, he was declared the best Serbian athlete.

At the 2009 World Aquatics Championships, Čavić won gold in the 50 m butterfly ^[5] and broke the 100 m butterfly world record in the semifinals finishing in 50.01 seconds.^[6] In the finals Čavić won silver with time of 49.95. In that final, Both Cavic and winner Phelps became the first two swimmers to swim the 100 fly under 50 seconds.

He missed competitions in 2010 due to spinal surgery.^[7]

Olympic Committee of Serbia (and Montenegro) proclaimed him sportsman of the year three times, 2003, 2008 and 2009.^[8]

In 2012 (May 26, 2012), he won gold medal at 2012 European Aquatics Championships in Debrecen, Hungary, in 100 meters butterfly, setting the best time in the world in 2012 and new championship record – 51.45 seconds.

Olympic career

2000 Sydney Summer Olympic Games

At the age of 16, Čavić represented Yugoslavia at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia in the 100 m butterfly (disqualified) and 100 backstroke – 42nd – 58.25 s.^[9]

Event	Results	Time
100 m butterfly	DSQ
100 m backstroke	42nd	58.25

2004 Athens Summer Olympic Games

Čavić represented Serbia and Montenegro at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece in the 100 m butterfly, 50 m freestyle and the 100 m freestyle.

Event	Results	Time
100 m butterfly	Semifinal ranking – 16th	53.12
50 m freestyle	Heats ranking – 31st	23.05
100 m freestyle	Heats ranking – 19th	49.74

Čavić was leading in a semifinal of the 100 metre butterfly, but right after the turn at the halfway point of the race, his suit opened at the neck and sucked in water, causing Čavić to finish last. In the heats of the 100 metre freestyle, Čavić finished 19th missing the semi-finals by 0.02 seconds.

Čavić trained at The Race Club, a swimming club founded by Olympic swimmers Gary Hall, Jr. and his father, Gary Hall, Sr. The Race Club, originally known as "The World Team," was designed to serve as a training group for elite swimmers across the world in preparation for the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. To be able to train with the Race Club, one must either have been ranked in the top 20 in the world the past 3 calendar years or top 3 in their nation in the past year. The Race Club included such well known swimmers as Roland Mark Schoeman, Mark Foster, Ryk Neethling, Ricky Busquet and Therese Alshammar.^[10] The Race Club offers various swimming camps, swim clinics, and swimming technique video recording year round for young swimmers at their Islamorada, Florida based training center.^[11]

2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games

Čavić on a 2009 Serbian stamp

Čavić represented Serbia at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, People's Republic of China in two swimming events. Even though he qualified for the 100 metre freestyle semi-final Čavić withdrew in order to prepare for the 100 metre butterfly.

On August 14, 2008 at the Beijing Olympics, Čavić broke the 100 meter butterfly Olympic Record during the preliminary heats, finishing ahead of Michael Phelps and also recorded the fastest time in the semi-finals. Čavić came in second to Phelps by 1/100 of a second in the final, which was also the first medal for Serbia. It was Phelps' seventh gold medal of the Games. The Serbian team initially challenged the result but FINA later confirmed the finish. Čavić later wrote in his blog: "People, this is the greatest moment of my life. If you ask me, it should be accepted and we should move on. I’ve accepted defeat, and there’s nothing wrong with losing to the greatest swimmer there has ever been".^[12]

Čavić continued training at The Race Club.^[10]

2012 London Summer Olympic Games

Čavić represented Serbia at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, England, deciding that this would be his last competition, and he would retire from the sport afterwards. He qualified for the 100 meter butterfly finals but did not medal, finishing in fourth place.

Honours and awards

• OCS Sportsman of the Year Award (3): 2003, 2008, 2009
• Golden Badge of DSL Sport (1): 2008

See also

• List of swimmers
• List of Olympic medalists in swimming (men)
• List of World Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming (men)
• List of European Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming (men)
• List of European Short Course Swimming Championships medalists (men)
• List of European records in swimming
• List of European Championships records in swimming
• List of Serbian records in swimming
• The Race Club

References

1. Scott M. Reid, 'Controversial O.C. Serb could spoil Phelps' gold rush'. The Orange County Register. August 14, 2008
2. "Čavić wins gold, sets new record". b92.net. December 13, 2008.
3. "Čavić takes another medal in Croatia". b92.net. December 15, 2008.
4. "Kazna Čaviću bruka Evrope" [Cavic's sentence, shame for Europe]. Blic (in Serbian). March 22, 2008. Retrieved October 2, 2009.
5. Andrew Dampf (July 27, 2009). "Cavic wins 50 fly and warns Phelps for 100". USA Today. Retrieved July 28, 2009.
6. "Swimming: Phelps sees another record go". CNN. July 31, 2009. Retrieved July 31, 2009.
7. Milorad Cavic May Withdraw From European Championships. www.SwimUtopia.com (2010-06-10). Retrieved on 2014-07-24.
8. Trofej OKS – Najuspešniji sportisti. oks.org.rs
9. Milorad Čavić. sports-reference.com
10. The World Team. The Race Club. Retrieved on 2014-07-24.
11. Swim Camps | The Race Club | Swimming Technique, Swimming Training Program, Florida Swim Camps, Summer Swim Camps. The Race Club. Retrieved on 2014-07-24.
12. Christopher Clarey, 'Cavic Finds a Personal Triumph in the Narrowest of Defeats'. New York Times. August 16, 2008

External links

• Official web site
• Fun site
• Website for Milorad Cavic's Marketing Agent Arluck Promotions
• Olympic games 2008
• Milorad Cavic profile
• Swim Rankings profile
• Biography by The Orange County Register