Dragutin Tomašević
Personal information | |
---|---|
Full name | Dragutin Tomašević |
Nationality | Serbian |
Born | Bistrica, Serbia | 20 April 1890
Died | October 1915 (aged 25) Rašanac, Serbia |
Sport | |
Country | Serbia |
Sport | Athletics |
Dragutin Tomašević (
The men's marathon, which lasted 40.2 kilometres (25.0 mi), took place on 14 July amid record heat; half the runners did not finish. Tomašević emerged from the marathon "battered and bruised", finishing 37th out of sixty-eight runners in two hours and 47 minutes. The cause of his injuries remains unknown, but one modern sports writer speculates that Tomašević may have suffered a fall during the run.
Following the outbreak of
Biography
Dragutin Tomašević was born on 20 April 1890 in the village of
Tomašević was one of the first two citizens of Serbia to participate in the Olympics, the other being the sprinter
The men's marathon, which lasted 40.2 kilometres (25.0 mi), took place on 14 July amid record-breaking heat; half the participants did not finish.[3] The Portuguese marathon runner Francisco Lázaro died of heat exhaustion, the first of only two athletes ever to die in competition during the Olympic Games.[4] Tomašević completed the marathon in two hours and 47 minutes, and finished 37th out of sixty-eight runners, prompting speculation in the Serbian tabloid press that he had been poisoned by "a beautiful Swedish blonde" or "pushed into a ditch" and held there so as to be prevented from winning.[1] "As he came in battered and bruised," the sports writer Nigel McCrery writes, "it seems more likely that he fell or was pushed and injured, explaining his condition." The gold medal was won by South Africa's Ken McArthur, the silver by another South African, Christian Gitsham, and the bronze by the American Gaston Strobino.[5]
Upon returning to Serbia, Tomašević began preparing for the 1916 Summer Olympics, which were never held due to the outbreak of
Legacy
A myth that surfaced following Tomašević's death holds that the
Tomašević's native village contains a museum dedicated to his sporting achievements. A commemorative marathon that takes in Petrovac na Mlavi every year has been named in his honour and a street in Belgrade bears his name. McCrery describes Tomašević as "one of Serbia's greatest sporting heroes."[5]
See also
References
- ^ ISBN 978-1-4738-7798-6.
- ISBN 978-0-8108-6524-2.
- ISBN 978-0-7864-7131-7.
- ISBN 978-0-31334-520-3.
- ^ a b c d McCrery 2016, p. 106
External links
Media related to Dragutin Tomašević at Wikimedia Commons