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Miljenko Rak

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Miljenko Rak
Rak in 2016
Personal information
Full name Miljenko Rak
Born (1947-09-20) 20 September 1947 (age 77)
Šibenik, FPR Yugoslavia
Nationality Croatian
Title
1995–2006
Fitness coach Dinamo Zagreb
2006–2012
Fitness coach Croatia (football)
2012–2013
Fitness coach Lokomotiv Moscow
2013–2015
Fitness coach Beşiktaş

Miljenko Rak (born 20 September 1947) is a Croatian former long-jumper and fitness trainer. He had worked as the trainer with Olympic gold medal-winning skier, Janica Kostelić, and football manager, Slaven Bilić. He is currently fitness coach in Dinamo Zagreb and the Croatia men's national handball team.[1]

Rak was the fitness coach for the Croatia national handball team that won the gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens.[2]

Having studied for a degree is physical education at University of Novi Sad,[1] competing for SFR Yugoslavia, as a long-jumper he took part in the 1967 Mediterranean Games in Tunis winning the gold medal with a jump of 7.53 metres (24 ft 8 in). Four years later in the 1971 Mediterranean Games he won the silver medal with a jump of 7.78 metres (25 ft 6 in), and in the 1979 Mediterranean Games in Split he won the bronze medal with a jump of 7.62 metres (25 ft 0 in).[3]

Rak worked as a coach in Osijek training athletes such as 800-metre runner Slobodanka Čolović[4] and long-jumper Siniša Ergotić.[5]

Rak started as a footballing fitness coach with Dinamo Zagreb, after that he joined Slaven Bilić with the Croatia national football team. He followed Bilić to work with Lokomotiv Moscow, Beşiktaş and West Ham United.[1] He left West Ham along with Bilić's other coaching staff when the manager was sacked on 6 November 2017.[6]

In 2020, Rak joined the Croatia national handball team as the fitness coach again.[7][8]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c "Bilic bolsters backroom team". www.whufc.com. 6 August 2015. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
  2. ^ "Do zlata s osam do osam". vecernji.hr. 19 December 2004. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
  3. ^ "Mediterranean Games". www.gbrathletics.com. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
  4. ^ "Slobodanka Colovic atletska senzacija iz Osijeka:" (in Croatian). www.yugopapir.com. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
  5. ^ "Mršavko koji daleko leti" (in Croatian). www.vecernji.hr. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
  6. ^ "Slaven Bilic: West Ham sack manager with team in the relegation zone". BBC Sport. 6 November 2017. Retrieved 6 November 2017.
  7. ^ Grgić, Eva (26 January 2020). "Kajba poklonio svoju medalju: 'Ovome čovjeku dao bih sve!'". 24sata (in Croatian). Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  8. ^ "Kauboji počeli pripreme za Svjetsko prvenstvo: Evo kakva je situacija i tko je sve na popisu". Gol.hr (in Croatian). 26 December 2020. Retrieved 26 December 2020.