At 38 years and 298 pounds, Croatia’s Josip Vrlić is the oldest and biggest water polo player to compete in the Olympics this year.
And to some, he has the best body.
While he may not be LGBTQ, some of the gay fans of the Olympics are suddenly in love.
“Absolute unit on the Croatian Water Polo squad,” commented a fan of the silver medal Olympian. “This is what elite athletic excellence looks like.”
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Vrlić’s “dad bod” stands in contrast to the more idealized physiques one comes to expect from Olympic athletes, like Tom Dale and his tight twinky diver’s build, or Anthony Amirrati and his tripod-like proportions. But fans of water polo know that raw strength trumps 6 pack abs and c-gutters.
“Water polo is an incredibly demanding sport,” one fan posted on social media. “Having this physique while being an outstanding player requires superhuman genetics, and people understand this as soon as they see him.”
Standing at 6’6, Vrlić is hard to miss, and this hulking aquatic daddy bear has been cited as “one of the strongest water polo players in the world.” This strength is of paramount importance in a sport that necessitates both dexterity and aggressive grappling.
“Most viewers will never understand the physicality of water polo,” explained @JohnLibertador on X (aka the social media platform formerly known as Twitter). “Above the water, it looks like handball. Below the waterline, it’s like Greco-Roman wrestling.”
Comments on Vrlić, who has been nicknamed the “Rock from Kvarner” in Croatia, have mostly been positive. Many find his natural, or “natty,” physique more relatable than the impossibly perfect forms of Noah Williams and Nicolò Martinenghi.
“Thank you, my athletic friend, for representing all of us. Much love,” gushed Thomas O’Dwyer (@tod1981) in a Twitter post.
“A perfect water polo physique,” @Firesign58 proclaimed in another.
What separates Vrlić from the myriad manorexic athletes is that he genuinely enjoys eating. According to Croatia Weekly, the Olympian loves eating the traditional dish punjene paprika, or stuffed peppers, specifically when prepared by his sister. And after burning so many calories competing against the Serbian team in the finals, Vrlić deserves to binge.
Croatia has won either a gold or silver medal at three of the last four Summer Olympic Games.
