Slobodan Branković
Encyclopedia
Slobodan Branković is a Serbia
n former track and field
athlete who specialised in the 400 metres
. He is currently the general secretary of the Athletics Federation of Serbia
.
He competed internationally for the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
and then the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. He represented the former nation at the 1988 Summer Olympics
, but (like a handful of other Yugoslavian athletes) competed as an individual under no flag
at the 1992 Summer Olympics
.
Branković was the gold medal
list over 400 metres
at the 1992 European Athletics Indoor Championships, a feat which gained him the "Golden Badge" as the Спорт
newspaper's Yugoslav sportsperson of the year. He participated in the IAAF World Championships in Athletics
on three occasions (1987, 1991, 1993). He set Yugoslavian records in the 4×400 metres relay and remains the holder of a variety of indoor and outdoor Serbian national record
s in distances from 100 metres
to 400 m.
in Belgrade
and affiliated with the city's athletic club, AK Partizan
, he made his first appearance on the world stage representing the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
. Forming part of the 4×400 metres relay team at the 1987 World Championships in Athletics
, he ran a national Yugoslavian record time of 3:03.30 minutes with Branislav Karaulic, Slobodan Popovic and Ismail Macev. At the age of twenty, he ran in the 400 metres
heats at the 1988 Seoul Olympics
and improved the national relay record to 3:01.59 minutes in the semi-finals of the relay event.
At the start of 1989 Branković ran an indoor personal best over 200 metres
of 21.24 seconds in Turin – this mark remains the Serbian national record
. He narrowly missed out on a medal in the 400 m at the 1989 IAAF World Indoor Championships
, coming in fourth place behind Spaniard Cayetano Cornet
. That same year he completed a Yugoslavian title double over 200 m and 400 m. He retained his 200 m title the following year and competed for his nation on home turf for the 1990 European Athletics Championships in Split
. He ran a career best of 45.30 seconds for the 400 m to qualify for the final (a time which is the current Serbian record) and finished sixth overall. As part of the relay team he helped the Yugoslavian men reach fifth place. Another Yugoslavian relay record came for him at the 1991 World Championships in Athletics
: competing in a team which also featured Dejan Jovkovic, Nenad Djurovic and Macev, he reached the final of the competition with the country's first sub-three-minute mark for the event (2:59.95 min). The Yugoslavian team came fourth in the relay final, just over two tenths of a second behind bronze medallists Jamaica.
Branković won the 100 metres
at the Yugoslavian championships, but it was over the longer sprint distance that he excelled that year. He won the 400 m gold medal
at the 1992 European Athletics Indoor Championships – an achievement which proved to be the pinnacle of his individual running career. Owing to the dissolution of Yugoslavia
, he was one of nine athletes to compete independent of a nation
at the 1992 Summer Olympics
. He reached the quarter-finals of the 400 m at the Games of Barcelona
. Branković was a representative of Europe at the 1992 IAAF World Cup
and came fifth overall in the 400 m. For his achievements that year, the sports daily Спорт
nominated him for their "Golden Badge", recognising him as their Yugoslav sportsman of the year.
He completed a 100/200 m double at the national championships in 1993 with personal best times of 10.33 seconds and 20.98 seconds, respectively (his 100 m time was the fastest ever run at the championships at that point). Later that year, he took part in the 1993 World Championships in Athletics
and ran in the heats of the 200 m. His final international performance came in the heats of the 400 m at the 1997 IAAF World Indoor Championships
.
Following his retirement from athletic competition, he moved into the field of athletics administration and rose to the position of general secretary at the Athletics Federation of Serbia
.
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
n former track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
athlete who specialised in the 400 metres
400 metres
The 400 metres, or 400 metre dash, is a common sprinting event in track and field competitions. It has been featured in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympics since 1896 . On a standard outdoor running track, it is exactly one lap around the track. Runners start in staggered positions and...
. He is currently the general secretary of the Athletics Federation of Serbia
Athletics Federation of Serbia
The Athletics Federation of Serbia is the governing body for the sport of athletics in Serbia.It was founded in 2006 after the dissolution of Serbia and Montenegro into Serbia and Montenegro.-External links:*...
.
He competed internationally for the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the Yugoslav state that existed from the abolition of the Yugoslav monarchy until it was dissolved in 1992 amid the Yugoslav Wars. It was a socialist state and a federation made up of six socialist republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,...
and then the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. He represented the former nation at the 1988 Summer Olympics
1988 Summer Olympics
The 1988 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad, were an all international multi-sport events celebrated from September 17 to October 2, 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. They were the second summer Olympic Games to be held in Asia and the first since the 1964 Summer Olympics...
, but (like a handful of other Yugoslavian athletes) competed as an individual under no flag
Independent Olympic Participants at the 1992 Summer Olympics
During the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain, athletes from the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the Republic of Macedonia competed as Independent Olympic Participants. Macedonian athletes could not appear under their own flag because their NOC had not been formed...
at the 1992 Summer Olympics
1992 Summer Olympics
The 1992 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, in 1992. The International Olympic Committee voted in 1986 to separate the Summer and Winter Games, which had been held in the same...
.
Branković was the gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
list over 400 metres
400 metres
The 400 metres, or 400 metre dash, is a common sprinting event in track and field competitions. It has been featured in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympics since 1896 . On a standard outdoor running track, it is exactly one lap around the track. Runners start in staggered positions and...
at the 1992 European Athletics Indoor Championships, a feat which gained him the "Golden Badge" as the Спорт
DSL Sport
Sport is a Serbian daily sports newspaper. Тhе first edition was published on 5 May 1945 under the name Fiskultura...
newspaper's Yugoslav sportsperson of the year. He participated in the IAAF World Championships in Athletics
IAAF World Championships in Athletics
The World Championships in Athletics is an event organized by the International Association of Athletics Federations . Originally, it was organised every four years, but this changed in 1991, and it has since been organised biennially.-History:...
on three occasions (1987, 1991, 1993). He set Yugoslavian records in the 4×400 metres relay and remains the holder of a variety of indoor and outdoor Serbian national record
Serbian records in athletics
The following are the national records in athletics in Serbia maintained by its national athletics federation: Atletski Savez Srbije .-Men:-Women:-Men:-Women:# = not officially ratifiedht = hand timing-External links:* *...
s in distances from 100 metres
100 metres
The 100 metres, or 100-metre dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, it is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896...
to 400 m.
Career
Born in ObrenovacObrenovac
Obrenovac is a town and municipality located in Serbia at 44°40′ North, 20°13′ East. Its name stems from last name "Obrenović" which in turn stems from name "Obren" in Serbian language. In 2003 the municipality has total population of 75,949...
in Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
and affiliated with the city's athletic club, AK Partizan
AK Partizan
AK Partizan or Atletski Klub Partizan is an athletics club from Belgrade, Serbia. The club is part of the sports society JSD Partizan.-History:The club was founded in 1945, being among the first five clubs of JSD Partizan...
, he made his first appearance on the world stage representing the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the Yugoslav state that existed from the abolition of the Yugoslav monarchy until it was dissolved in 1992 amid the Yugoslav Wars. It was a socialist state and a federation made up of six socialist republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,...
. Forming part of the 4×400 metres relay team at the 1987 World Championships in Athletics
1987 World Championships in Athletics
The 2nd World Championships in Athletics under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations were held in the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy between August 28 and September 6, 1987.-Track:1983 | 1987 | 1991 | 1993 | 1995...
, he ran a national Yugoslavian record time of 3:03.30 minutes with Branislav Karaulic, Slobodan Popovic and Ismail Macev. At the age of twenty, he ran in the 400 metres
400 metres
The 400 metres, or 400 metre dash, is a common sprinting event in track and field competitions. It has been featured in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympics since 1896 . On a standard outdoor running track, it is exactly one lap around the track. Runners start in staggered positions and...
heats at the 1988 Seoul Olympics
Athletics at the 1988 Summer Olympics
At the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul a total number of 42 events in athletics were contested: 24 by men and 18 by women. There were a total number of 1617 participating athletes from 149 countries.-Men's events:...
and improved the national relay record to 3:01.59 minutes in the semi-finals of the relay event.
At the start of 1989 Branković ran an indoor personal best over 200 metres
200 metres
A 200 metres race is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400 m track, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques are needed to successfully run the race. A slightly shorter race, called the stadion and run on a straight track, was the first...
of 21.24 seconds in Turin – this mark remains the Serbian national record
Serbian records in athletics
The following are the national records in athletics in Serbia maintained by its national athletics federation: Atletski Savez Srbije .-Men:-Women:-Men:-Women:# = not officially ratifiedht = hand timing-External links:* *...
. He narrowly missed out on a medal in the 400 m at the 1989 IAAF World Indoor Championships
1989 IAAF World Indoor Championships
The 2nd IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics were held at the Budapest Sportcsarnok in Budapest, Hungary from March 3 to March 5, 1989. There were a total number of 373 participating athletes from 62 countries.-Men:1985 | 1987 | 1989 | 1991 | 1993...
, coming in fourth place behind Spaniard Cayetano Cornet
Cayetano Cornet
Cayetano Cornet Pamies is a retired 400 metres runner from Spain. He was born in Reus, Catalonia.He won the European Indoor Championships in 1986 as well as two World Indoor Championships bronze medals and one European Indoor Championships bronze medal....
. That same year he completed a Yugoslavian title double over 200 m and 400 m. He retained his 200 m title the following year and competed for his nation on home turf for the 1990 European Athletics Championships in Split
Split (city)
Split is a Mediterranean city on the eastern shores of the Adriatic Sea, centered around the ancient Roman Palace of the Emperor Diocletian and its wide port bay. With a population of 178,192 citizens, and a metropolitan area numbering up to 467,899, Split is by far the largest Dalmatian city and...
. He ran a career best of 45.30 seconds for the 400 m to qualify for the final (a time which is the current Serbian record) and finished sixth overall. As part of the relay team he helped the Yugoslavian men reach fifth place. Another Yugoslavian relay record came for him at the 1991 World Championships in Athletics
1991 World Championships in Athletics
The 3rd World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held in the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo, Japan between August 23 and September 1 and athletes from 167 countries participated in the event.The event is best-remembered for the...
: competing in a team which also featured Dejan Jovkovic, Nenad Djurovic and Macev, he reached the final of the competition with the country's first sub-three-minute mark for the event (2:59.95 min). The Yugoslavian team came fourth in the relay final, just over two tenths of a second behind bronze medallists Jamaica.
Branković won the 100 metres
100 metres
The 100 metres, or 100-metre dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, it is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896...
at the Yugoslavian championships, but it was over the longer sprint distance that he excelled that year. He won the 400 m gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
at the 1992 European Athletics Indoor Championships – an achievement which proved to be the pinnacle of his individual running career. Owing to the dissolution of Yugoslavia
Dissolution of Yugoslavia
The Breakup of Yugoslavia refers to a series of conflicts and political upheavals resulting in the dissolution of Yugoslavia . The SFR Yugoslavia was a country that occupied a strip of land stretching from Central Europe to the Balkans – a region with a history of ethnic conflict...
, he was one of nine athletes to compete independent of a nation
Independent Olympic Participants at the 1992 Summer Olympics
During the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain, athletes from the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the Republic of Macedonia competed as Independent Olympic Participants. Macedonian athletes could not appear under their own flag because their NOC had not been formed...
at the 1992 Summer Olympics
1992 Summer Olympics
The 1992 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, in 1992. The International Olympic Committee voted in 1986 to separate the Summer and Winter Games, which had been held in the same...
. He reached the quarter-finals of the 400 m at the Games of Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
. Branković was a representative of Europe at the 1992 IAAF World Cup
1992 IAAF World Cup
The 6th IAAF World Cup in Athletics was an international track and field sporting event sponsored by the International Association of Athletics Federations, held on September 8–10, 1992, at the Estadio Panamericano in Havana, Cuba.-Men:|width="50"| ...
and came fifth overall in the 400 m. For his achievements that year, the sports daily Спорт
DSL Sport
Sport is a Serbian daily sports newspaper. Тhе first edition was published on 5 May 1945 under the name Fiskultura...
nominated him for their "Golden Badge", recognising him as their Yugoslav sportsman of the year.
He completed a 100/200 m double at the national championships in 1993 with personal best times of 10.33 seconds and 20.98 seconds, respectively (his 100 m time was the fastest ever run at the championships at that point). Later that year, he took part in the 1993 World Championships in Athletics
1993 World Championships in Athletics
The 4th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held in the Gottlieb Daimler Stadium, Stuttgart, Germany between August 13 and August 22 with the participation of 187 nations....
and ran in the heats of the 200 m. His final international performance came in the heats of the 400 m at the 1997 IAAF World Indoor Championships
1997 IAAF World Indoor Championships
The 6th IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics were held at the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy in Paris, France from March 7 to March 9, 1997. It was the first athletic championships to introduce women's pole vault...
.
Following his retirement from athletic competition, he moved into the field of athletics administration and rose to the position of general secretary at the Athletics Federation of Serbia
Athletics Federation of Serbia
The Athletics Federation of Serbia is the governing body for the sport of athletics in Serbia.It was founded in 2006 after the dissolution of Serbia and Montenegro into Serbia and Montenegro.-External links:*...
.