Vlado Paradžik (born 21 February 1967) is a Bosnian judoka. He competed in the men's extra-lightweight event at the 1992 Summer Olympics.
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Bosnian |
| Born | 21 February 1967 Vogošća, Yugoslavia |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Judo |
Biography
editParadžik was born on 21 February 1967 in Vogošća, Yugoslavia.[1][2] He began practicing judo in 1974 and competed in Yugoslavia and then Bosnia and Herzegovina.[3] He was a bronze medalist at the cadet national championships in 1982, a silver medalist at the junior national championships in 1987, and a bronze medalist at the senior national championships in 1989.[4] When the Bosnian War started in 1992, the 25-year-old Paradžik was part of the front-line defense for the city of Sarajevo and served in a police paramilitary unit.[5]
At the same time, Paradžik continued training in judo, being selected to represent Bosnia and Herzegovina for the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, the country's first participation at the games.[5][6] Due to the war, every gymnasium in the region was destroyed, and thus he trained for the Olympics in a basement on mattresses, having only one training partner.[5][7] A few weeks before the Olympics, he was given leave from his paramilitary unit to train full-time.[5] Amid the war, there was a scarcity of food, and thus in trying to "bulk up" for the games, he lost 11 pounds (5.0 kg).[7] With the Olympics approaching, Paradžik remained in Sarajevo and it was uncertain whether he would be able to make it to the games, held in Barcelona, Spain.[5] Shortly before the Olympics were to take place, he and the other Bosnian Olympic selections were escorted by the United Nations Protection Force to an airport, where a special plane chartered by the International Olympic Committee waited.[8][9] After arriving at the airport, the plane was stuck as grenades were exploding nearby the runway.[9] After a six-hour delay, the plane took off and arrived in Barcelona three hours before the opening Olympic ceremony.[9] At the Olympics, Paradžik competed in the men's extra-lightweight event, being defeated in his first fight and finishing tied for 23rd,[10] equal with 11 other competitors.[11]
After the Olympics, Paradžik moved to Sweden due to the war.[3] He continued being active in judo, serving as the head coach and later chairman of the Södertälje Judo Club.[3] By 2018, he was living in the Swedish town of Södertälje with his wife, three daughters and son.[6]
References
edit- ↑ "Vlado Paradžik". Olymedia.org.
- ↑ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Vlado Paradžik Olympic Results". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 27 May 2018.
- 1 2 3 "Södertälje Judoklubb vill hjälpa till att skapa ett bättre samhälle för alla barn, unga och vuxna" [Södertälje Judo Club wants to help create a better society for all children, young people and adults.]. rfsisu.se (in Swedish). 2 November 2022.
- ↑ "Vlado Paradzik". JudoInside.com.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Crary, David (10 July 1992). "Olympic hopeful runs scared in battle zone". The Duluth News Tribune. Associated Press. p. 17 – via Newspapers.com.
- 1 2 Dedić, Midhat (12 October 2018). "Prvi olimpijci BiH: Živi, zdravi i zaboravljeni" [The first Olympians of BiH: Alive, healthy and forgotten] (in Bosnian). Al Jazeera Balkans.
- 1 2 Lopresti, Mike (1 August 1992). "Some athletes had a perilous road to Olympics". USA Today. p. 31 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "BOSNIAN IN TRAINING, RUNNING FOR HER LIFE". The Washington Post. 27 July 1992 – via archive.today.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - 1 2 3 Farber, Michael (30 July 1992). "Runner races for finish to civil war". Edmonton Journal. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Extra-Lightweight". Olympedia.
- ↑ "Barcelona 1992 - 60 kg men Results - Olympic Judo". Olympics official website. Retrieved 22 May 2025.
External links
edit- Vlado Paradžik at JudoInside.com
- Vlado Paradžik at Olympedia
