Filip Filipovic has announced his definitive retirement from active water polo. This time, it is final, as he said.
Filipovic, who retired from the national team after winning his second Olympic gold medal in Tokyo in 2021, initially planned to finish his career at the end of the 2022/23 season while playing for Olympiacos. However, he changed his mind and joined Novi Beograd for the 2023/24 season. After one season with Novi Beograd, he stepped away from high-level water polo following the 2024 Final Four in Malta.
Yet, this was not truly the end. Last year, he came out of retirement along with Denes Varga to help the Los Angeles Athletic Club at the final tournament of the USA National League, in which the LA club secured third place. Over the past two seasons, he also played in the Kuwaiti league on two occasions.
This season, he rejoined the Los Angeles Athletic Club in the USA National League, helping the club win the title by defeating the Olympic Club after a dramatic penalty shootout (16:15) in the final held in Irvine. Filipovic scored four goals in that match. Alongside him, Varga was also part of the team, along with several other well-known players, including USA national beam members Chase and Ryder Dodd, as well as goalkeeper Brendon Gyapas, a world champion with the junior team of Hungary.
After the game, Filipovic confirmed his final retirement again. In an interview with the USA Water Polo Federation, he stated,
“This was my very last game in my career. I didn’t want to announce anything because whenever I did, something unexpected happened. I got the signal, and that was it. Last shot, last goal. These guys were incredible, and I’m proud to have led them to the end,” he said.
Filip Filipovic’s career is one of the most decorated in the history of water polo. He won an extraordinary 35 international titles, including two Olympic gold medals in 2016 and 2020, along with bronze medals from the 2008 Beijing Games and the 2012 London Games. He also secured five European Championships and two World Championships gold medals, among other accomplishments.
Filipovic debuted for Partizan at the young age of 14. He later played for Pro Recco, Radnicki, Szolnok, Olympiacos, and Novi Beograd, winning numerous domestic titles, Champions League crowns with Pro Recco, and two Euro Cups with Radnicki and Szolnok.
Over the last several years he has been part of the General Board of Partizan. Since the beginning of this year,,he has been involved in the work of the Russian national team
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