Team profile |
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Serbia have a long history of success in the World League, but the title has proved elusive to them. Between 2003 and 2009 they appeared in four finals and lost all of them. In 2003, 2005 (both times participating as Serbia and Montenegro) and 2009 Brazil were their tormentors, while in 2008 the United States beat them 3-1. This golden era was fuelled by top players who received several individual awards, including Ivan Miljkovic who remains the only player to be named the World League's MVP four times. In recent years their results have deteriorated, and they have not progressed from the intercontinental round in any of the previous three years. Experienced coach Igor Kolakovic, now in his ninth year at the helm, will be looking to revive their fortunes this year.
They have consistently won medals at other international events, including bronzes at the 2010 World Championship and 2003 World Cup, but their crowning glory came at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. Having won bronze four years earlier in Atlanta, their campaign took an early blow when they lost their opening two matches, but they bounced back to win all three remaining group games. After defeating the Netherlands in the quarterfinal and Italy in the semifinal, they trounced Russia 3-0 in the final.
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Coach profile |
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Igor Kolakovic played for 18 years as a setter for Partizan Belgrade, winning Yugoslavia’s championship twice. He has tasted success as a coach at domestic and international levels. He guided Serbia to a gold medal at the 2011 European Championship and bronze at the 2013 European Championship. He was also at the helm when the Serbians took silver in the 2009 World League. At club level, he won the championship in Serbia and Montenegro in 2002, 2004 and 2006 with Buducnost Podgoricka and followed that by claiming the Montenegrin title in 2007 and 2008. He joined French team AS Cannes in 2009 before moving to ACH Volley in Slovenia where he led the team to national titles in 2011 and 2012. |
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