'One Of Our Own:' Toms River Remembers Olympian Pavle Jovanovic

TOMS RIVER, NJ — Pavle Jovanovic, a Toms River native who rose to fame as a U.S. Olympic bobsledder, is being remembered in his hometown as an amazing person with a contagious smile and a kind spirit who inspired many.

Jovanovic died May 3 by suicide. He was 43 years old, according to a report on the Team USA Bobsled and Skeleton website.

He was a 1995 graduate of Toms River High School East and started bobsled in 1997, according to the Team USA report. He won a World Championship bronze medal in 2004, and finished seventh in both the two-and four-man events at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, with Todd Hays. He earned three varsity letters in football at Toms River East and served as one of the team's captains, along with being named to the All-Shore and All-County teams, the Asbury Park Press reported when he was inducted into the Toms River Schools' Athletic Hall of Fame in 2006.

Jovanovic graduated from Rutgers University with a degree in civil engineering and played football there. He also was an Eagle Scout, according to his Facebook page. He became a welder and was a certified master accredited metallurgist after he retired from the bobsled team.

"He was one of our own," a post on the TR Our Community Deserves Better Facebook page said. "He was an amazing individual. We can only hope that Pauly knew he was an amazing person that is loved by so many."

"Nothing Greater than a Raider," the TR Our Community Deserves Better Facebook post said. "He was an astounding athlete and he 'set the standard' for many."

"So many loved him and were inspired by him," Melissa Morrison wrote on Facebook. "I don’t think he knew just how much he was loved and the impact he had on others in and out of the athletic realm."

"I hope Pauly knew how much he meant to his family, friends, teammates, and the bobsled world," Tisha Breslow said in a comment on the Toms River post. "The tributes from his teammates are heartwarming to read, but sad as well. Did he really know how people felt about him?"

"As life goes on, we lose touch with people and never get the chance to express our feelings," she wrote. "Pauly left his mark on me with his contagious smile and great personality. He will be forever missed by all who knew him. I hope you know you were deeply loved, Pauly!"

"Pavle Jovanovic was the hardest-working athlete I have ever had the pleasure of knowing," Hays, who was his sledmate in 2006, wrote in a tweet. "He made everyone around him better. Thank you Pavle for making me better. I’m sending love and condolences to the Jovanovic family. What a tremendous loss."

Steve Mesler, who was Jovanovic's roommate and teammate, tweeted: "Pavle Jovanovic was King. He WAS the standard."

In a post on Facebook, Mesler elaborated on his time with Jovanovic, saying he set the standard for focus, dedication, meticulousness, and drive."

Jovanovic "for 6 years was the best bobsledder on the planet and I wanted to be just like him. We did everything together – from sushi in Calgary to poker in Innsbruck to wind tunnels in Maryland and too many World Cup medals to count all over the world," Mesler wrote. "Together with @billschuffenhauer, B-Rock, Hays or Holcy & our coach @fingermash, we were unstoppable."

"When Pav was removed from the '02 Olympic Team by USADA & CAS, I benefitted," Mesler wrote. "That guilt laid with me until Pav became my roommate, teammate, and for quite some time, my best friend. He alleviated me of the guilt, even as he fought in lawsuits (and won) to clear his name. But he buried it deep and put it on himself."

In 2002, Jovanovic missed the Olympics after testing positive for a banned steroid less than two months before the Salt Lake City Winter Games, an NBC Sports report on his death said. He was suspended two years. Jovanovic insisted he unknowingly took a contaminated supplement and sued the manufacturer.

At the 2006 Winter Olympics, "Pav was the best teammate anyone ever had," Mesler wrote. "He knew your success would mean his success. He taught me that. He taught me to care about my teammates' sleep, nutrition, therapy, and work ethic in the gym and behind closed doors just as much as you cared about your own. He taught me about the need for being mentally healthy – not for life, but for athletic success. And that may have been part of his downfall."

"You won’t have to keep going to the line with that hamstring torn in half anymore, buddy," Mesler wrote. "We’ll make sure your brother, your sister, and your parents know the person and athlete you were."

Jovanovic had a similar sentiment when teammate Steven Holcomb, who was his pilot for three seasons, died in 2017. "You drove the lines others merely Dreamed Of! 10 years of on tour together. God Bless."

Jovanovic fell in love with the bobsled watching the 1984 Sarajevo Olympics with his father, he told NBC Sports for a biography for the 2006 Olympics, and the stories of him practicing the sport in the backyard of his Toms River home have been repeated many times. (Watch the biography below.)

"The winter sports community has suffered a tragic loss," USA Bobsled/Skeleton CEO Aron McGuire, who was also a former teammate of Jovanovic’s, said in the Team USA report. "Pavle’s passion and commitment towards bobsled was seen and felt by his teammates, coaches, competitors, and fans of the sport."

"He lived life to the fullest and had a lasting influence on all those who had the opportunity to spend time with him. Whether Pavle was pushing his teammates to be their best on the track and in the weight room, or brining laughter to friends, he was known for always giving 100 percent on everything that he focused on. Pavle’s impact on each of us will be remembered and celebrated," McGuire said.

That was what his Toms River friends were saying as well.

"He was a great guy," Morrison wrote. "We are heartbroken for him, for his family and for ourselves. "

"One week ago today, Pauly took his own life," the TR Our Community Deserves Better Facebook post said. "As the shock lessens, we know we will never receive the answers that we so desperately seek. We just hope that this post could save a life."

May is Mental Health Month. If you or someone you know is going through a hard time, losing hope, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. This public health crisis has left some feeling alone, hopeless, helpless, isolated. There is help. Call 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

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