Branislav Pokrajac

Branislav Pokrajac was considered the best left winger in the world of handball in the 1970s. He competed at two Olympics for Yugoslavia, leading them to the gold medal in 1972. During his club career he played for ORK Beograd, Red Star, and Dinamo. Pokrajac earned 180 caps, scoring 510 international goals, and also won bronze medals at the 1970 and 1974 World Championships.

Pokrajac later became a renowned handball coach, leading Yugoslavia to Olympic gold in 1984, silver at the 1982 Worlds, and bronze at the 2001 World Cup. He coached several clubs in Yugoslavia, including Dinamo, Crvena zvezda, Lovćen, Partizan, Kretej, and Porto. He also coached overseas with Egypt, Qatar, Spain, and the United States. Pokrajac was a professor of handball at the Faculty of Physical Education and Sports in Belgrade and a lecturer at the EHF, who received numerous awards for his achievements in handball.