Nikola Jakšić

Nikola Jakšić was born on January 17, 1997, in Belgrade, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. His career in water polo began when he joined VK Partizan in 2013, competing in the Serbian Championship. Jakšić quickly established himself as a key player, contributing to VK Partizan’s Serbian Championship victories in 2014–15, 2015–16, and 2016–17. During this period, he also secured two Serbian Cup titles in 2015–16 and 2016–17.

Jakšić’s international career with the Serbia men’s national water polo team began with significant achievements. He earned a gold medal at the 2015 World Aquatics Championships in Kazan and another gold at the 2016 European Water Polo Championship in Belgrade. His Olympic journey commenced at the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics, where he secured his first Olympic gold medal. His consistent performance and defensive prowess led to him being recognized as the Young Athlete of The Year by the Serbian Olympic Committee in 2016. In 2017, he participated in the World Aquatics Championships in Budapest, contributing to a bronze medal, and in the Summer Universiade in Taipei, where his team won gold.

From 2017 to 2021, Jakšić played for Ferencvárosi in Hungary, where he achieved further success. He won the LEN Euro Cup in 2017–18, followed by the LEN Champions League in 2018–19. His time with Ferencvárosi also saw him win multiple Hungarian Championships and Cups, and two LEN Super Cups in 2018 and 2019. After his tenure in Hungary, Jakšić transferred to VK Novi Beograd in 2021, continuing to add to his list of accolades in the Adriatic League and Serbian Championship. He notably captained the Serbian national team, securing additional Olympic gold medals at the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Summer Olympics, making him a three-time Olympic champion.