Andrej Gaćina is a Croatian professional table tennis player born on 21 May 1986 in Zadar, then part of SR Croatia in SFR Yugoslavia.
He has represented Croatia at the highest levels for over two decades.
Gaćina began the sport as a child in Zadar during the Croatian War of Independence, initially trying football before switching to table tennis for greater safety indoors.
At age 12, he relocated with his family to Zagreb to advance his development.
Gaćina has competed for various European clubs, including stints in Belgium, Germany, Russia, Italy, Poland, and Greece (such as Olympiacos and Apuania Carrara).
Siblings
Andrej has an older brother, Željan Gaćina.
Their father, Berislav Gaćina, introduced both sons to table tennis during the war years in Zadar, improvising equipment such as a table from chipboard and homemade rackets when formal facilities were limited or unsafe.
The brothers trained together from a young age, with Željan starting first and Andrej joining after accompanying their father to sessions.
In Andrej’s professional setup, Željan has served as an assistant coach alongside head coach Neven Karković.
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Career
Gaćina’s international career began in the junior ranks, highlighted by a bronze medal in doubles at the 2004 World Junior Championships in Kobe, Japan.
He made his Olympic debut at the 2008 Beijing Games and went on to compete in five consecutive Summer Olympics (Beijing 2008, London 2012, Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020, and Paris 2024), a rare mark of longevity.
At the senior level he has been a mainstay of the Croatian national team in European Championships, World Championships, and other major events.
His peak individual achievement came in 2011 when he won the European Championships men’s doubles title in Gdańsk-Sopot partnering Portugal’s Marcos Freitas.
He has also claimed titles on the professional circuit, including the WTT Star Contender Doha singles title in 2022, along with various club successes such as the ETTU Europe Trophy with Olympiacos in 2023 and domestic and European club honors in Italy and elsewhere.
Gaćina continues to compete at a high level, expressing interest in qualifying for a sixth Olympics in Los Angeles while valuing appearances in his hometown of Zadar.
Accolades
Gaćina’s major international medals include gold in men’s doubles at the 2011 European Championships and silver in the team event at the 2007 European Championships in Belgrade, plus a team bronze in 2014.
At the 2009 Mediterranean Games in Pescara he earned silver medals in both singles and team (or doubles, depending on the account).
He collected a junior world championships doubles bronze in 2004.
On the World Table Tennis circuit he won the 2022 WTT Star Contender Doha singles title and has reached additional finals and podium finishes in feeder and contender events in subsequent years.
Domestically he has won multiple Croatian national singles titles.
At club level his honors encompass league titles and cups across several countries, the 2022 Europe Cup, Italian Supercoppa and Coppa Italia with Apuania Carrara, and the 2023 ETTU Europe Trophy.
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