{"id":489746,"date":"2021-10-21T20:13:31","date_gmt":"2021-10-22T03:13:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=489746"},"modified":"2021-10-21T20:13:31","modified_gmt":"2021-10-22T03:13:31","slug":"retirement-of-andro-buslje-continues-generational-change-for-croatia-mens-water-polo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/retirement-of-andro-buslje-continues-generational-change-for-croatia-mens-water-polo\/","title":{"rendered":"Retirement of Andro Buslje Continues Generational Change for Croatia Men\u2019s Water Polo"},"content":{"rendered":"

Retirement of Andro Buslje Continues Generational Change for Croatia Men\u2019s Water Polo <\/strong><\/p>\n

Croatia men\u2019s water polo captain Andro Buslje<\/strong> has announced his international retirement, one of several key veterans to end their international careers after the Tokyo Olympics.<\/p>\n

Vice-captain Maro Jokovic<\/strong> and center Luka Loncar<\/strong> have also retired. Center Xavi Garcia<\/strong> announced his retirement from the sport after the Tokyo Olympics, where at age 38 he was Croatia\u2019s oldest player. Paulo Obradovic<\/strong> also closed his international career with the Tokyo Games. The Barracudas had the oldest team in Tokyo with an average age of 31 years and 77 days.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese are simply players who have given everything as far as the national team is concerned, which at certain years are tired, saturated and we have to look to the future,\u201d Croatia coach Ivica Tucak<\/strong> told Sportske Novosti<\/a>. \u201cWe need to move in a new direction. I have always said that the national team’s doors will be forever open for some possible corrections if we see that we are thin in some positions or do not have appropriate solutions. However, we need to turn things around. We can no longer go further with people who are 35-38 years old. It doesn’t work anymore. Not that we can’t, but they can’t either. That is inevitable in every sport, but I am not pessimistic. It will take a clear bit of time and patience to sort this out. We already have some players from before, we are counting on them, and now we are going to join new ones.\u201d<\/p>\n

Buslje is one of the program\u2019s icons. The 35-year-old participated in four Olympic Games, starting in Beijing in 2008. He was part of the Croatian team that won gold in London in 2012 and silver in Rio four years later. Jokovic also won gold in 2012. Garcia, Buslje, Loncar and Garcia were on the 2016 team that fell in the final to Serbia.<\/p>\n

The Croatians finished fifth at the Tokyo Olympics<\/a>, besting the United States in the placement game. Croatia has made at least the semifinals of each of the last eight World Championships, yielding seven medals. The squad won the 2017 championship<\/a> after being runner-up in 2015.<\/p>\n

Buslje, a hulking 6-foot-7 center defender, won World Championships in 2007 and 2017. His seven FINA World Championships medals is a record. He won the LEN Champions League in 2017-18 with Greek club Olympiakos, which he rejoined this year. Buslje was Croatia\u2019s flagbearer at the both the opening and closing ceremonies of the Tokyo Olympics.<\/p>\n

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A post shared by Andro Bu\u0161lje (@androb8)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n