Ivica Tucak
Tucak as Croatia head coach at the 2015 World Championship
Personal information
Full name Ivica Tucak
Born (1970-02-08) 8 February 1970
Šibenik, SR Croatia, SFR Yugoslavia
Nationality Croatian
Club information
Current team Croatia (head coach)
Teams coached
Years Team
2005–????
 Croatia (juniors)
2006–2009
 VK Šibenik NCP
2009–2012
 PVK Jadran
2010–2011
 Croatia (assistant)
2012–
 Croatia
Medal record
Head Coach for  Croatia
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place2016 Rio de JaneiroCoach
World Championship
Gold medal – first place2017 BudapestCoach
Silver medal – second place2015 KazanCoach
Bronze medal – third place2013 BarcelonaCoach
Bronze medal – third place2019 GwangjuCoach
European Championship
Gold medal – first place2022 SplitCoach
Silver medal – second place2024 DubrovnikCoach
Bronze medal – third place2018 BarcelonaCoach
Mediterranean Games
Gold medal – first place2013 MersinCoach
World Cup
Bronze medal – third place2014 AlmatyCoach
World League
Silver medal – second place2015 BergamoCoach
Silver medal – second place2019 BelgradeCoach
Bronze medal – third place2017 RuzaCoach
Europa Cup
Gold medal – first place2018 RijekaCoach
Silver medal – second place2019 ZagrebCoach
World Junior Championship
Gold medal – first place2009 ŠibenikCoach
European Junior Championship
Bronze medal – third place2008 BelgradeCoach

Ivica Tucak (born 8 February 1970) is a Croatian professional water polo coach and former player who has been the head coach of the Croatia men's national water polo team since 16 September 2012.[1]

Winning the gold medal at the 2017 World Championship, silver medals at the 2015 World Championship and 2016 Summer Olympics, and the bronze medal at the 2018 European Championship, he has been the most successful coach of the Croatia national team.[2]

Playing career

Tucak started his professional playing career with the junior team of his hometown club VK Šibenik, where he stayed until 1989, playing together with the famous Croatian player, Perica Bukić.[3]

In 1989, he signed with Belgrade-based club Crvena zvezda. In 1991, he went to Switzerland and signed for Bissone Lugano. In 1993, he returned to his home–VK Šibenik–and stayed there for two years, after Tucak went to Italy and played for Como/Snam Milano and Sori until 2002. He then came back to Croatia, and played for VK Medveščak until 2004. He finished his career in 2005 at his hometown club VK Šibenik.[3]

During his professional career, he was not a member of the senior Croatia men's national water polo team.

Coaching career

Tucak started his head coaching career at his hometown club VK Šibenik, managing them to reach the LEN Euro Cup final game in the 2006–07 season.[3] In 2009, he became head coach of Montenegrin First League club PVK Jadran, with which he won two Adriatic Leagues and one national league and cup title.[3]

National team coaching career

In 2005, Tucak started to work as coach of the junior men's Croatia national team along Veselin Đuho, winning the bronze medal at the 2008 European Championship in Belgrade, and the gold medal at the 2009 World Championship in Šibenik.

From 2010 until 2011, Tucak worked as assistant to the head coach of the senior Croatia men's team, Ratko Rudić, while in September 2012, he succeeded him.[4][3] With Croatia, he won the 2017 World Championship tournament in Hungary.[5][3]

Personal life

Born in Šibenik, Tucak graduated from the water polo at the Zagreb Faculty of Kinesiology in 2013, where his mentor was the famous Croatian water polo player, Dubravko Šimenc.[6] In 2010, City of Šibenik awarded Tucak for the best coach in Šibenik in 2009.[7]

Tucak, with his wife Marijana, had a daughter Tena who died tragically in June 2005, at the age of 3.[8][9]

Tucak is awarded for the best coach in the world by FINA, in December 2017.[10]

Honours

Coach

VK Šibenik NCP

PVK Jadran

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Razočarani Tucak iskreno priznao: Treba biti čovjek i reći – Srbija je bolja!". Gol.hr (in Croatian). Retrieved 21 August 2016.
  2. ↑ "Brojni poznati uzvanici uveličali 50. rođendan našeg trofejnog vaterpolskog izbornika". Novi list (in Croatian). 8 February 2020. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Ivica Tucak - Hrvatski vaterpolski savez" (in Croatian). Croatian Water Polo Federation. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
  4. ↑ "Tucak novi izbornik vaterpolske reprezentacije" (in Croatian). Croatian Radiotelevision. 16 September 2012. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  5. ↑ "Hrvatska svjetski vaterpolski prvak!" (in Croatian). Croatian Radiotelevision. 29 July 2017. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  6. ↑ "Izbornik vaterpolo reprezentacije: „Bez pohađanja KIF-a nemoguće je dobro raditi ovaj posao"". studentski.hr (in Croatian). 30 May 2021. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
  7. ↑ "Izabrani najbolji u šibenskom sportu za 2009.godinu" (in Croatian). šibenik.hr. 8 February 2010. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
  8. ↑ "Umrla djevojčica na koju je pao aparat za igračke". Index.hr (in Croatian). 21 June 2005. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
  9. ↑ Žukina, Predrag (6 August 2017). "IVICA TUCAK 'Smrt moje kćeri je samo moja tragedija i tragedija moje supruge. Bilo je to najljepše i najpametnije dijete na svijetu'". Jutarnji list (in Croatian). Retrieved 9 August 2021.
  10. ↑ "Ivica Tucak biografija". www.biografija.com. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
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