Marko Strahija

Marko Strahija
Personal information
Born	28 May 1975 (age 49); Zagreb
Height	200 cm (6 ft 7 in)
Weight	84 kg (185 lb)
Sport
Sport	Swimming
Medal record
Men's swimming
Representing Croatia
World Championships (SC)
European Championships (LC)
Mediterranean Games

Marko Strahija (born 28 May 1975 in Zagreb) is a backstroke swimmer from Croatia, who competed at three Summer Olympics between 1996 and 2008.^[1]

Early career

Marko attended The Ohio State University and held university records in the 100 and 200 backstroke before the times were eclipsed by RJ Lemyre.

In Atlanta, United States, he finished in 11th position (B-Final) in the Men's 200 m backstroke, and was eliminated in the heats of the Men's 4 × 200 m freestyle relay, alongside Gordan Kožulj, Miroslav Vučetić, and Marijan Kanjer. Strahija won the silver medal, behind Aaron Peirsol of the United States, in the 200 m backstroke at the 2002 FINA Short Course World Championships.

Doping suspension and exoneration

Strahija's urine sample, taken in an out-of-competition control in July 2002, tested positive for human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). Since hCG is a known tumor marker, Strahija underwent medical tests that found nothing suspicious. He maintained his innocence and disputed scientific validity of testing for hCG.^[2]^[3] Nevertheless, in 2003 he received a two-year suspension.

In October 2007 Strahija again tested positive for hCG, which caused him to miss the European Short Course Championships held in December that year. This time, subsequent medical tests found testicular cancer, and Strahija immediately underwent surgery. In February 2008, the International Swimming Federation exonerated Strahija, lifting his provisional suspension.^[4] He made a successful recovery, taking part in the 2008 Summer Olympics.

Olympic results

Olympic results
Event	1996 Atlanta	2000 Sydney	2004 Athens	2008 Beijing
100 metre backstroke	—	18th 56.26	—	34th 55.89
200 metre backstroke	11th 2:01.84	9th 1:59.85	—	—
4 × 200 metre freestyle relay	13th 7:43.69	—	—	—

References

^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Marko Strahija". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 2016-12-04.
^ "Archived copy" (PDF). www.vjesnik.hr. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 October 2003. Retrieved 13 January 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2004-11-27. Retrieved 2004-11-27.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
^ "Marko Strahija Doping Suspension Lifted". 29 February 2008. Archived from the original on 2012-04-04. Retrieved 2019-11-21.

External links

Marko Strahija at World Aquatics
Marko Strahija at Olympedia
Marko Strahija at Olympics.com
Marko Strahija at OlympicChannel.com (archived)
Marko Strahija at Olympic.org (archived)
Marko Strahija at the Croatian Olympic Committee (in Croatian) (archived, also available in English)

[1] Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Marko Strahija". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 2016-12-04.

[2] "Archived copy" (PDF). www.vjesnik.hr. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 October 2003. Retrieved 13 January 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

[3] "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2004-11-27. Retrieved 2004-11-27.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

[4] "Marko Strahija Doping Suspension Lifted". 29 February 2008. Archived from the original on 2012-04-04. Retrieved 2019-11-21.

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