Iztok Puc

Biographical information

RolesCompeted in Olympic Games
SexMale
Full nameIztok•Puc
Used nameIztok•Puc
Other namesИзток Пуц
Born14 September 1966 in Slovenj Gradec, Slovenj Gradec (SLO)
Died20 October 2011 in Miami, Florida (USA)
Measurements196 cm / 105 kg
AffiliationsRK Borac, Banja Luka (BIH) / Prule 67, Ljubljana (SLO)
NOC Croatia Slovenia Yugoslavia
Medals OG
Gold 1
Silver 0
Bronze 1
Total 2

Biography

Iztok Puc was Slovenian but represented Yugoslavia, Croatia, and Slovenia at the Olympics in handball. He started his career playing for RK Šoštanj, and then later played for RK Borac in Bosnia/Herzegovina, RK Zagreb in Croatia, and then RK Celje and RD Prule 67 in Slovenia. He first played internationally for Yugoslavia in 1987 at the World Junior Championships, and a year later he was on the Olympic team for Yugoslavia. After the break-up of Yugoslavia, Puc became a Croatian citizen in 1991, playing for RK Zagreb, competed for them at the 1996 Olympics, and with the Croatian team, won a bronze medal at the 1994 European Championships, and a silver at the 1995 World Championships. He ended his career playing with his native Slovenia. After his handball career ended, Puc moved to Miami, Florida in 2005 to support the tennis career of his son, Borut. Iztok Puc was diagnosed with lung cancer in early 2011 and succumbed to the disease within only a few months. He is considered one of the greatest backs in handball history.

Results

Games Discipline (Sport) / Event NOC / Team Pos Medal As
1988 Summer Olympics Handball YUG Iztok Puc
Handball, Men (Olympic) Yugoslavia 3 Bronze
1996 Summer Olympics Handball CRO Iztok Puc
Handball, Men (Olympic) Croatia 1 Gold
2000 Summer Olympics Handball SLO Iztok Puc
Handball, Men (Olympic) Slovenia 8

Olympic family relations

Special Notes