Milorad Čavić facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Milorad Čavić

Čavić at the 2008 Beijing Olympics
Personal information
Nickname(s)	Čavke, Čava, Majkula, Mike, Milo
Born	(1984-05-31) May 31, 1984 (age 41) Anaheim, California, U.S.
Height	1.97 m (6 ft 5+1⁄2 in)
Weight	93 kg (205 lb)
Sport
Sport	Swimming
Strokes	Butterfly, freestyle
Club	JSD Partizan
College team	University of California, Berkeley
Medal record Olympic Games Silver 2008 Beijing 100 m butterfly World Championships (LC) Gold 2009 Rome 50 m butterfly Silver 2009 Rome 100 m butterfly European Championships (LC) Gold 2008 Eindhoven 50 m butterfly Gold 2012 Debrecen 100 m butterfly European Championships (SC) Gold 2003 Dublin 100 m butterfly Gold 2006 Helsinki 100 m butterfly Gold 2007 Debrecen 50 m butterfly Gold 2007 Debrecen 100 m butterfly Gold 2008 Rijeka 100 m butterfly Silver 2003 Dublin 50 m freestyle Silver 2006 Helsinki 50 m freestyle Silver 2008 Rijeka 50 m butterfly

Milorad Čavić (born May 31, 1984) is a famous Serbian former professional swimmer. He is often called "Milo" by his friends and fans. Milorad won a silver medal in the 100-meter butterfly race at the 2008 Summer Olympics. This was a very exciting race against American swimmer Michael Phelps.

Čavić was also a World and European champion. He even held a world record in swimming. He is one of only a few swimmers to finish the 100-meter butterfly race in under 50 seconds.

Milorad Čavić: A Swimming Star

Early Life and Amazing Swims

Milorad Čavić was born in Anaheim, California, in the United States. He is a citizen of both Serbia and the United States. He went to Tustin High School in California. There, he set many swimming records. He even set a national high school record in the 50-yard freestyle race.

Later, he swam for the University of California, Berkeley. He set new school records there too. He was especially good at the 100-yard butterfly.

European Championship Wins

Milorad Čavić started making a name for himself in Europe. In 2003, he won a gold medal in the 100-meter butterfly at the European Short Course Swimming Championships in Dublin. He even set a new world record for the short course! He also won a silver medal in the 50-meter freestyle.

He kept winning the 100-meter butterfly title at European championships. He won again in Helsinki in 2006, Debrecen in 2007, and Rijeka in 2008. In Rijeka, he set a new European record. He also earned a silver medal in the 50-meter butterfly there.

In 2008, Čavić won the European championship in the 50-meter butterfly in Eindhoven, Holland. He set a new European record. For a short time, he was disqualified because of a T-shirt he wore at the medal ceremony. But his disqualification was removed, and his record was officially recognized.

In 2009, Čavić won a gold medal in the 50-meter butterfly at the World Aquatics Championships in Rome. He also broke the 100-meter butterfly world record in the semifinals. In the final, he won a silver medal. Both Čavić and Michael Phelps became the first two swimmers to swim the 100-meter butterfly in under 50 seconds.

Milorad had spinal surgery in 2010, so he missed some competitions. But he came back strong! In 2012, he won another gold medal at the European Aquatics Championships in Debrecen, Hungary. He set the best time in the world that year for the 100-meter butterfly.

Olympic Journey: Competing on the World Stage

Milorad Čavić competed in four Olympic Games. He always gave his best against the world's top swimmers.

Sydney 2000: First Olympic Dive

At just 16 years old, Milorad Čavić swam for Yugoslavia at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. He competed in the 100-meter butterfly and 100-meter backstroke. It was his first time on the huge Olympic stage.

Athens 2004: Learning from Challenges

Čavić represented Serbia and Montenegro at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. He swam in the 100-meter butterfly, 50-meter freestyle, and 100-meter freestyle.

In the 100-meter butterfly semifinal, Milorad was leading. But his swimsuit opened, causing him to finish last. In the 100-meter freestyle, he just missed the semifinals by a tiny amount. These were tough lessons, but he kept going.

Milorad trained at The Race Club. This is a special swimming club for top swimmers from all over the world. Famous swimmers like Gary Hall, Jr. helped start it.

Beijing 2008: The Famous Race

Čavić on a 2009 Serbian stamp

At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China, Čavić made history. He set a new Olympic record in the 100-meter butterfly during the first heats. He was even faster than Michael Phelps! He also had the fastest time in the semifinals.

In the final race, Čavić finished second to Michael Phelps. It was by the smallest difference possible: one hundredth of a second! Milorad became the first Serbian swimmer to win an Olympic medal. Even though he was so close to gold, Čavić showed great sportsmanship. He wrote on his blog that it was the greatest moment of his life. He said he accepted losing to "the greatest swimmer there has ever been."

London 2012: A Final Splash

Milorad Čavić competed for Serbia at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, England. This was his last big competition. He reached the final of the 100-meter butterfly. He tied for fourth place, ending his amazing Olympic career on a high note.

Top Swimming Times

Here are some of Milorad Čavić's best times in different swimming events. These times show how fast he was!

Long Course (50-meter pool)

Short Course (25-meter pool)

Awards and Recognition

Milorad Čavić received many awards for his incredible swimming career.

• He was named the OCS Sportsman of the Year Award three times: in 2003, 2008, and 2009.
• He also won the Golden Badge of DSL Sport in 2008.

More to Explore

• List of swimmers
• List of Olympic medalists in swimming (men)
• List of World Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming (men)
• List of European Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming (men)
• List of European Short Course Swimming Championships medalists (men)
• List of European records in swimming
• List of European Championships records in swimming
• List of Serbian records in swimming
• The Race Club