Marko Račič
Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes | |
Died | 27 May 2022 Križ, Sežana, Slovenia | (aged 102)
---|---|
Occupation | Athlete |
Sport | |
Sport | Track and field |
Achievements and titles | |
Olympic finals | 1948 Summer Olympics |
Marko Račič (25 April 1920 – 27 May 2022) was a Slovenian
Early life and athletic career
Račič was born in Adlešiči near Črnomelj in 1920.[1] He ran his first official race, at 100 metres, on his seventeenth birthday and won it, eventually growing to specialize in this and the 200-metre distance. Athletically active during high school, he furthered his training at a special sports institute in Belgrade.[2] He eventually became a member of JSD Partizan, a military sports club based out of Belgrade,[1] at which point his athletic career began to take off. He captured numerous local and state championships and earned records in the 100- and 200-metre disciplines prior to taking his career international and representing Yugoslavia abroad.[3]
Among Račič's sixteen international appearances for the country were the
Later life
After his competitive career ended, Račič continued to pursue athletics as lifelong work. He became a trainer in 1953 and served as coach of the Slovenian women's national athletic team from 1960 through 1968.
In September 2010, Račič became the second-oldest living Slovenian Olympic athlete, behind Tone Pogačnik.[5] At the time, he was working on a book detailing the history of Slovenian athletics based on his research as well as his personal experiences.[2] He became the oldest living Slovenian Olympic athlete upon Pogačnik's death in June 2013.[6] He died on 27 May 2022, at the age of 102.[7]
References
- ^ a b c d Gjerde, Arild; Jeroen Heijmans; Bill Mallon; Hilary Evans (September 2010). "Marko Račić Biography and Olympic Results". Olympics. Sports Reference.com. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 7 October 2010.
- ^ a b c d e Pogačnik, Jože (29 April 2010). "Izjemno plodnih devet desetletij" (in Slovenian). Dnevnik.sl. Retrieved 7 October 2010.
- ^ a b c d "Rajcu Rožančeva nagrada". Žurnal24 (in Slovenian). Ljubljana: Styria Medien AG. 26 November 2009. Retrieved 7 October 2010.
- ^ Kastelic, Peter (3 December 2009). "Račič: S seboj sem imel harmoniko in salame" (in Slovenian). SiOL. Retrieved 7 October 2010.
- ^ a b c "Račič tretji najstarejši slovenski olimpijec" (in Slovenian). SiOL. 7 May 2010. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 7 October 2010.
- ^ "Umrl Tone Pogačnik, najstarejši slovenski zimski olimpijec" (in Slovenian). Dnevnik. 27 June 2013. Retrieved 28 June 2013.
- ^ "Umrl Marko Račič, najstarejši slovenski olimpijec". Primorske novice (in Slovenian). 28 May 2022. Retrieved 28 May 2022.