Milorad Cavic

Born in Anaheim, California to parents who immigrated to the United States in 1982, Milorad Cavic has become a dual threat in the pool, dominating both international and domestic competitions.

A 6-foot-6 butterfly specialist, Cavic won Serbia’s first ever Olympic swimming medal when he took silver in the 100-meter fly at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. Cavic missed out on the gold by 1/100th of a second, being slightly edged out by American Michael Phelps. The silver medal came after Cavic broke the Olympic record in the preliminary round of competition.

A trip to the Olympic podium has become the highlight of an illustrious international swimming career. A three-time Olympian and three-time World Championships finalist, Cavic currently holds the European record in both the 50-meter and 100-meter fly.

Competing for a spot in the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Cavic became the Yugoslavian Champion in the 50-meter freestyle, 100-meter freestyle, 100-meter fly and the 100-meter back. In 2003, in his training for the Athens Olympics, Cavic became a recognized name in the sport of swimming by setting the world record in the 100-meter fly at the European Championships in Dublin, Ireland.

Domestic Dominance

While Cavic has become one of the top swimmers in the world, he kick-started his swimming career in the United States. Nicknamed ‘Mike’, Cavic attended Tustin High School in Orange County, California. He set eight school and four state records while winning seven California state titles. In 2002 he was named the National High School Swimmer of the Year, set a high school record in the 50-yard freestyle and won a U.S. National Title in the 100-meter fly.

Coveted by every major swimming program in the country, Cavic chose to remain in the Golden State to attend and swim for the University of California-Berkeley. While studying political economies, Cavic, who swam freestyle, backstroke and fly for Cal, became a four-time NCAA Champion in relay events.  The All-American also won individual Pac-10 Championships in the 100-yard fly two consecutive years.

Coached at Cal by Mike Bottom, Cavic reunited with his old instructor in 2007 when he moved to Islamorada, Florida to swim with The Race Club, an international cast of elite swimmers. Training with the worlds best, Cavic’s time with Bottom and The Race Club helped hoist him to Olympic greatness.

With a significant international fan base, Cavic hosts a website in both English and Serbian, on which he keeps a regularly updated journal. For his accomplishments, Cavic has had feature stories in major publications such as The New York Times and The Orange Country Register.

Despite swimming since he was nine, Cavic enjoys numerous hobbies outside of the pool, including: traveling, spear fishing, volleyball, soccer, basketball and watching movies.