Ismet Godinjak

Started: He took up the sport in 1995. (Sitting Volleyball Club Fantomi - Monography, 01 Jan 2011) Reason: He played volleyball in high school and got involved in sitting volleyball as part of his rehabilitation. (Sitting Volleyball Club Fantomi - Monography, 01 Jan 2011; csmonitor.com, 11 Jul 1995) Milestones: He is one of five Bosnia and Herzegovina players [along with Adnan Manko, Asim Medic, Dzevad Hamzic and Sabahudin Delalic] to have won six career Paralympic medals in the sport. (SportsDeskOnline, 01 Jul 2024) Awards: In 2021 and 2023 he was named Best Male Libero at the European championships. (ParaVolley Europe Facebook page, 16 Oct 2023; reprezentacija.ba, 24 Oct 2021) In 2020 he received a Recognition Award from World ParaVolley. The honour acknowledges the recipient's significant contribution towards and development of sitting volleyball. (worldparavolley.org, 24 Apr 2020) He was named the 2011 Male Para Athlete of the Year in Bosnia and Herzegovina. (dnevniavaz.ba, 16 Jan 2012) Additional Info: GOLDEN GENERATION He was part of the Bosnian sitting volleyball team that reached five consecutive finals at the Paralympic Games between 2000 and 2016, winning two gold medals and three silver medals. He was also part of the team that won bronze at the 2020 Games in Tokyo. "Our mentality is our advantage. We come from a small country, which experienced hard times in the past. We want to achieve success and we don't like to lose. We want to show our strength on the court. We motivate and support each other." (SportsDeskOnline, 03 Jan 2024; ba.n1info.com, 22 Jul 2019) CLUB FOUNDER He is co-founder and president of the OKI Fantomi sitting volleyball club in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. (Sitting Volleyball Club Fantomi Facebook page, 27 Dec 2023; fantomi.ba, 15 Dec 2016)