Learning from a water polo superstar

A water-polo international captain who won gold at London 2012 has inspired QE’s own players during a visit to the School.

Samir Barac competed in four successive Olympics and was in the world-champion Croatian team in 2007. His career culminated in his role as Croatia’s captain when they beat Italy in the final of the London Olympics competition at the Water Polo Arena in the Olympic Park.

His lunchtime talk at QE proved a popular event, drawing many other boys besides the School’s water-polo players.

Samir, who is 42, first played for the Croatian team in 1996, but his interest in the sport dates back much further than that: he enjoyed “swimming off the beautiful coast of Croatia” as a child, taking to water polo because he relished its competitive team sport elements.

He used to train for five hours a day, six days a week, and captained his national team for the final four years of his playing career. Whilst playing international water polo, he successfully completed an MBA in Economics – a feat which, he stated, was “like winning a second gold medal”.

Samir retired as a player in 2013.