Duje Draganja

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Medal record
Competitor for Image:Flag of Croatia.svg Croatia
Men's Swimming
Olympic Games
Silver	2004 Athens^[1]	50 m freestyle
World Championships
Silver	2005 Montreal^[2]	50 m Freestyle
World Championships - Short Course
Bronze	2004 Indianapolis	50 m butterfly
Gold	2006 Shanghai	50 m freestyle
European Championships (LC)
Bronze	2002 Berlin	100 m freestyle
European Championships (SC)
Silver	2007 Debrecen	50 m freestyle

Duje Draganja (born 27 February 1983 in Split) is a swimmer from Croatia who won the silver medal in the men's 50 meter freestyle at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece.

Draganja is also a former NCAA record holder in the 100 yard freestyle, with a time of 41.49, set in 2005, while he swam for the University of California, Berkeley. He, like many other world-class, non-American swimmers, chose to spend 4 years training and competing at an American university. During his four years with Cal, Duje won 10 PAC-10 swimming titles, and eight NCAA National championships. While at Cal, he trained with the world-renown sprinting coach Michael Bottom, who still coaches him now.

He has been controversial in Croatia for his decision to take the citizenship of Qatar and continue his swimming career under the flag of the country. Croatian public opinion has largely turned against Draganja, the press portraying him as a villain with no respect for his homeland. Draganja accepted a Qatar passport in August 2005 claiming that he will keep his Croatian passport and will not change his religion.

However, in February 2006, it appeared that he had reversed his decision, and will continue to compete for Croatia.^[3]

[edit] Trivia

Name is pronounced "DOO-ye DRAHG-ahn-ya". In an interview while he attended Cal, Draganja said that people tell him name "DOO-ie" is "the dumbest name you want to have".