Josip Vrlic is not only the oldest water polo player at the Olympics, he is also the biggest. The 38-year-old decided not to retire before Paris in hopes of bringing a gold medal back to Croatia.
That dream can still become a reality!
Croatia will play Hungary in the Semifinal round on Friday after advancing through the the group stage and quarterfinals with only one loss to the United States. Vrlic has played a huge role along the way.
He is a defensive nightmare any time he gets in the pool at 6-foot-6, 298 pounds. Trying to guard someone of his size while in the water is nearly impossible. Vrlic is an absolute unit.
He creates the ultimate matchup nightmare in one of the most physical sports at the Olympics.
There are a lot of large athletes in water polo. None are bigger than Vrlic.
His teammates, who are not small, look tiny in comparison.
The sheer size of Vrlic is awe-inspiring.
It is impossible to miss him in the pool or on the sideline.
Although Josip Vrlic was born and raised in Rijeka, Croatia, his professional career began in Brazil. He actually represented the South American country at the Olympics in Rio.
Not anymore!
Vrlic joine his home country for PyeongChang in 2018 and has been with them ever since— outside of a brief moment last year where the Croatian head coach accidentally thought he had retired. He didn’t.
The monstrous centre forward will finish no lower than fourth in what is expected to be his final Olympics. Vrlic and Team Croatia will at the very least play for bronze if it loses to Hungary in the Semis.
Best case scenario, they get a second shot at the Americans for gold. Josip Vrlic obviously wants to go out on top!