Andro Bušlje (born 4 January 1986) is a Croatian water polo player who competed in the 2008 Summer Olympics, 2012 Summer Olympics and 2016 Summer Olympics.[1] At the 2012 Summer Olympics he was part of the Croatian team that won the gold medal.[1] He is right-handed and plays the center defender position. From 2016 to 2019 he played for Greek powerhouse Olympiacos, with whom he won the 2017–18 LEN Champions League.[2][3] He started playing water polo at the age of 12, and he made his national team debut in 2005. Bušlje is one of the top defenders in the world.
| Andro Bušlje | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Personal information | |||
| Born | 4 January 1986 Dubrovnik, SR Croatia, SFR Yugoslavia | ||
| Nationality | Croatian | ||
| Height | 2.00 m (6 ft 7 in) | ||
| Weight | 115 kg (254 lb) | ||
| Position | Centre back | ||
| Handedness | Right | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current team | Olympiacos | ||
| Senior clubs | |||
| Years | Team | ||
2004–2015 | Jug Dubrovnik | ||
2015–2016 | Posillipo | ||
2016–2019 | Olympiacos | ||
2019–2020 | Pro Recco | ||
2020–2021 | Mladost | ||
2021– | Olympiacos | ||
| National team | |||
| Years | Team | ||
2005–2022 | Croatia | ||
Medal record | |||
Bušlje is currently the captain of the Croatia national team, with whom he has become Olympic gold medalist, 2 times World Champion and European Champion. He is the only water polo player in the world to have won 7 FINA World Championship medals (2 gold, 1 silver and 4 bronze), an all-time record as of 2017
Bušlje was given the honour to carry the national flag of Croatia at the closing ceremony of the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo,[4] becoming the 29th water polo player to be a flag bearer at the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympics.
Honours
Club
Jug Dubrovnik
- LEN Champions League: 2005–06 ;runners-up: 2006–07, 2007–08, 2012–13
- LEN Super Cup: 2006
- Croatian Championship: 2003–04, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2012–13
- Croatian Cup: 2003–04, 2004–05, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2009–10
- Adriatic League: 2008–09
Olympiacos
- LEN Champions League: 2017–18 ;runners-up: 2018–19
- Greek Championship: 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24
- Greek Cup: 2017–18, 2018–19, 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24
- Greek Super Cup: 2018
Mladost
- Croatian Championship: 2020–21
- Croatian Cup: 2020–21
Individual
- Member of the World Team by total-waterpolo 2017[5]
- LEN Champions League Defender of the Year: 2017–18, 2018–19
- Croatian Water Polo Player of the Year: 2018[6]
- Adriatic League Defender of the Year: 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2013–14
- Serie A1 Defender of the Year: 2015–16
- Croatian Championship MVP: 2009–10, 2020–21
- Croatian Championship Defender of the Year: 2003–04, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2014–15, 2020–21
- Greek Championship Defender of the Year: 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19
See also
- Croatia men's Olympic water polo team records and statistics
- List of Olympic champions in men's water polo
- List of Olympic medalists in water polo (men)
- List of flag bearers for Croatia at the Olympics
- List of world champions in men's water polo
- List of World Aquatics Championships medalists in water polo
- 2017–18 Croatian "Athlete of the Year "
- fifth best player in the world: 2018
- Croatian Championship MVP 2020–21
References
External links
- Andro Bušlje at World Aquatics
- Andro Bušlje at Olympics.com
- Andro Bušlje at Olympedia
- Andro Bušlje at the Croatian Olympic Committee (archived) (in Croatian)
