Luka came back from the Sydney 2000 Olympics as Olympic Champion after winning a Gold Medal in the Heavyweight Men's Eight. He was a member of the silver medal-winning eight at the 1999 World Championships. In a gripping race the British crew chased the Americans out of the starting blocks and pushed them hard for the first half of the race. With both crews clear of the field the Brits. took the lead in the third 500metres only for the USA to snatch it back before the finish. It was Luka’s second appearance in a British vest although he has a wealth of rowing experience behind him.

Luka comes from a sporty family, his father played basketball for Yugoslavia in the 1960s. As a young teenager Luka played tennis and did a lot of ski-ing before deciding to take up rowing at the age of fourteen. He learnt to row in Zagreb and within three years was at the Junior World Championships representing Yugoslavia. He raced in the coxless pair which finished in fourth place.

Luka had lived in Britain for four years when he was younger and when he chose to go to university he decided to return and to study at Imperial College, London. He joined their boat club and in 1992 was in the winning Ladies’ Plate eight at Henley Royal Regatta. Despite the difficulties of being so far away Luka managed to gain selection for the Croatian team in 1993, firstly at under-23 level in the coxless four and then for the World Championships in the coxed four. He kept his seat in the four for the 1994 World Championships and then moved into the eight for the 1995 World Championships, but the boat failed to get a qualification place for the 1996 Olympic Games. Luka’s consolation was winning the premier event for eights, the Grand Challenge Cup, in an Imperial College crew at the 1996 Henley Royal Regatta.

In the autumn of 1996 Luka went up to Oxford University to study and was in the Blue Boat that helped provide one of the closest Boat Races in recent times. Having put down strong roots in Britain Luka has now gained British nationality and is living and training in Henley on Thames. He made his international debut for Great Britain in the coxed four at the 1998 World Championships.