Zoran Primorac
Encyclopedia
Zoran Primorac is an accomplished male table tennis
player from Croatia
. He is considered to be among the best European players in the last 25 years (along with Vladimir Samsonov
from Belarus, Timo Boll
from Germany, Jan-Ove Waldner
and Jörgen Persson
from Sweden and Jean-Philippe Gatien
from France).
and started playing table tennis in the club STK "Bagat" in his home town. As a junior he won seven medals in European championships. In 1985 he moved to the Zagreb
club "Vjesnik". At the 1987 World Championship in New Delhi he won the silver medal together with Ilija Lupulesku
, and repeated the success by winning the silver at the 1988 Summer Olympics
in Seoul
. Together with Lupulesku he also won the 1990 European Championship in Gothenburg
.
Primorac competed for Croatia at the 1992 Summer Olympics
in Barcelona where he reached last 16 in singles and doubles. He repeated the same at the 1996 Summer Olympics
, and at the 2004 Summer Olympics
he was eliminated in the third round. At 2008 Summer Olympics
"Zoki" lost in quarter-final of Men's singles event by Jörgen Persson
.
Primorac, Belgian Jean-Michel Saive
, and Swede Jörgen Persson
are the first table tennis players to have competed at six Olympics, having competed in all Games since the sport was introduced in 1988.
In 1993 he won a bronze medal in Men's singles at World Table Tennis Championships. He won silver medal in 1995 and bronze in 1999 at World Championships in Men's doubles event.
At the 1998 and 2000 European Championships Primorac won silver medal in Men's singles. In 1998 final he lost against Vladimir Samsonov
and in 2000 lost against Peter Karlsson
. At 1992, 1994, 2002 and 2005 European Championship he won bronze medal in Men's singles. In the 2007 European Championship in Belgrade
he won the silver medal in the team event with Croatia (with Roko Tošić, Andrej Gačina and Tan Ruiwu).
At Mediterranean Games
in Men's singles event he won gold medal in 1987, silver in 1993 and 1997 and bronze in 1991. In Men's doubles evnt he won gold medal in 1987 and 1991, silver in 1993 and bronze in 1997.
He currently uses specially-designed equipment made by Butterfly Table Tennis. He uses the Timo Boll spirit blade, while using Tenergy 05 rubber on both sides of his racket.
In the TV comedy The Office, the character Dwight Schrute
names Zoran Primorac as one of his heroes, but pronounces his name incorrectly.
Table tennis
Table tennis, also known as ping-pong, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight, hollow ball back and forth using table tennis rackets. The game takes place on a hard table divided by a net...
player from Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
. He is considered to be among the best European players in the last 25 years (along with Vladimir Samsonov
Vladimir Samsonov
Vladimir Samsonov is a Belarusian professional table tennis player, ranked ninth in the world as of October 2011...
from Belarus, Timo Boll
Timo Boll
Timo Boll is a German professional table tennis player who currently plays with Borussia Düsseldorf and is the German No.1 of the German Table Tennis National League...
from Germany, Jan-Ove Waldner
Jan-Ove Waldner
Jan-Ove Waldner is a Swedish table tennis player. He is known as "the Mozart of table tennis" and is a legend in his native Sweden as well as in China. In China he is known as 老瓦 Lao Wa - "Old Wa" or 常青树 Chang Qing Shu - "Evergreen"...
and Jörgen Persson
Jörgen Persson
Jörgen Persson is a Swedish table tennis player. In two memorable World Table Tennis Championships finals he faced fellow Swede Jan-Ove Waldner in 1989 and 1991, losing the former and winning the latter....
from Sweden and Jean-Philippe Gatien
Jean-Philippe Gatien
Jean-Philippe Gatien is a retired French table tennis player.He competed at four Olympics from 1988 to 2000, winning silver in the singles at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and bronze in doubles at the 2000 Sydney Olympics...
from France).
Biography
Primorac was born in ZadarZadar
Zadar is a city in Croatia on the Adriatic Sea. It is the centre of Zadar county and the wider northern Dalmatian region. Population of the city is 75,082 citizens...
and started playing table tennis in the club STK "Bagat" in his home town. As a junior he won seven medals in European championships. In 1985 he moved to the Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
club "Vjesnik". At the 1987 World Championship in New Delhi he won the silver medal together with Ilija Lupulesku
Ilija Lupulesku
Ilija Lupulesku is a former Yugoslav and now Serbian table tennis player who competed in the 1988 Summer Olympics, in the 1992 Summer Olympics, in the 1996 Summer Olympics, in the 2000 Summer Olympics, and in the 2004 Summer Olympics. He compeeted for USA from 2004 to 2006 including 2004 Summer...
, and repeated the success by winning the silver 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...
in Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
. Together with Lupulesku he also won the 1990 European Championship in Gothenburg
Gothenburg
Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...
.
Primorac competed for Croatia 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...
in Barcelona where he reached last 16 in singles and doubles. He repeated the same at the 1996 Summer Olympics
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....
, and at the 2004 Summer Olympics
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
he was eliminated in the third round. At 2008 Summer Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
"Zoki" lost in quarter-final of Men's singles event by Jörgen Persson
Jörgen Persson
Jörgen Persson is a Swedish table tennis player. In two memorable World Table Tennis Championships finals he faced fellow Swede Jan-Ove Waldner in 1989 and 1991, losing the former and winning the latter....
.
Primorac, Belgian Jean-Michel Saive
Jean-Michel Saive
Jean-Michel Saive is a Belgian professional table tennis player.Born in Liège in a table tennis playing family, Saive was predestined to become a very good table tennis player and began playing as a small boy...
, and Swede Jörgen Persson
Jörgen Persson
Jörgen Persson is a Swedish table tennis player. In two memorable World Table Tennis Championships finals he faced fellow Swede Jan-Ove Waldner in 1989 and 1991, losing the former and winning the latter....
are the first table tennis players to have competed at six Olympics, having competed in all Games since the sport was introduced in 1988.
In 1993 he won a bronze medal in Men's singles at World Table Tennis Championships. He won silver medal in 1995 and bronze in 1999 at World Championships in Men's doubles event.
At the 1998 and 2000 European Championships Primorac won silver medal in Men's singles. In 1998 final he lost against Vladimir Samsonov
Vladimir Samsonov
Vladimir Samsonov is a Belarusian professional table tennis player, ranked ninth in the world as of October 2011...
and in 2000 lost against Peter Karlsson
Peter Karlsson (table tennis)
Peter Karlsson , is a table tennis player. He was 1991 World Champion in men's doubles , and 2000 European Champion in men's singles.-Commitment:...
. At 1992, 1994, 2002 and 2005 European Championship he won bronze medal in Men's singles. In the 2007 European Championship 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...
he won the silver medal in the team event with Croatia (with Roko Tošić, Andrej Gačina and Tan Ruiwu).
At Mediterranean Games
Mediterranean Games
The Mediterranean Games are a multi-sport games held every four years, mainly for nations bordering the Mediterranean Sea, where Europe, Africa and Asia meet. The idea was proposed at the 1948 Summer Olympics by Muhammed Taher Pasha, chairman of the Egyptian Olympic Committee, and they were first...
in Men's singles event he won gold medal in 1987, silver in 1993 and 1997 and bronze in 1991. In Men's doubles evnt he won gold medal in 1987 and 1991, silver in 1993 and bronze in 1997.
He currently uses specially-designed equipment made by Butterfly Table Tennis. He uses the Timo Boll spirit blade, while using Tenergy 05 rubber on both sides of his racket.
In the TV comedy The Office, the character Dwight Schrute
Dwight Schrute
Dwight Kurt Schrute III is a character on NBC's The Office portrayed by Rainn Wilson. He originally exactly resembled Gareth Keenan from the original UK version of The Office. Dwight is the top salesman and former acting manager for the Dunder Mifflin Paper Company and has won numerous awards for...
names Zoran Primorac as one of his heroes, but pronounces his name incorrectly.
Achievements
| Year | Competition | Venue | Placed | Event |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Olympic Games Olympic Games The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate... |
 South Korea SeoulSeoul Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world... |
Men's doubles | |
| 1987 | World Championships World Table Tennis Championships The World Table Tennis Championships are held since 1926, biennially since 1957. Seven events were included in the Championships. The World Team Table Tennis Championships, which include men's team and women's team events, were first their own competition in 2000. The Team Championships are held in... |
 India New DelhiNew Delhi New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is... |
Men's team | |
| 1987 | World Championships World Table Tennis Championships The World Table Tennis Championships are held since 1926, biennially since 1957. Seven events were included in the Championships. The World Team Table Tennis Championships, which include men's team and women's team events, were first their own competition in 2000. The Team Championships are held in... |
India New Delhi New Delhi New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is... |
Men's doubles | |
| 1991 | World Championships World Table Tennis Championships The World Table Tennis Championships are held since 1926, biennially since 1957. Seven events were included in the Championships. The World Team Table Tennis Championships, which include men's team and women's team events, were first their own competition in 2000. The Team Championships are held in... |
 Japan ChibaChiba, Chiba is the capital city of Chiba Prefecture, Japan. It is located approximately 40 km east of the center of Tokyo on Tokyo Bay. Chiba City became a government designated city in 1992. Its population as of 2008 is approximately 960,000.... |
Men's team | |
| 1993 | World Championships World Table Tennis Championships The World Table Tennis Championships are held since 1926, biennially since 1957. Seven events were included in the Championships. The World Team Table Tennis Championships, which include men's team and women's team events, were first their own competition in 2000. The Team Championships are held in... |
 Sweden GothenburgGothenburg Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area... |
Men's singles | |
| 1995 | World Championships World Table Tennis Championships The World Table Tennis Championships are held since 1926, biennially since 1957. Seven events were included in the Championships. The World Team Table Tennis Championships, which include men's team and women's team events, were first their own competition in 2000. The Team Championships are held in... |
 People's Republic of China TianjinTianjin ' is a metropolis in northern China and one of the five national central cities of the People's Republic of China. It is governed as a direct-controlled municipality, one of four such designations, and is, thus, under direct administration of the central government... |
Men's doubles | |
| 1999 | World Championships World Table Tennis Championships The World Table Tennis Championships are held since 1926, biennially since 1957. Seven events were included in the Championships. The World Team Table Tennis Championships, which include men's team and women's team events, were first their own competition in 2000. The Team Championships are held in... |
 Netherlands Eindhoven |
Men's doubles | |
| 1986 | European Championships |  Czechoslovakia PraguePrague Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million... |
Men's doubles | |
| 1988 | European Championships |  France ParisParis Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region... |
Men's doubles | |
| 1990 | European Championships | Sweden Gothenburg Gothenburg Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area... |
Men's team | |
| 1990 | European Championships | Sweden Gothenburg Gothenburg Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area... |
Men's doubles | |
| 1992 | European Championships |  Germany StuttgartStuttgart Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million .... |
Men's singles | |
| 1992 | European Championships | Germany Stuttgart Stuttgart Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million .... |
Mixed doubles | |
| 1994 | European Championships |  United Kingdom BirminghamBirmingham Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a... |
Men's singles | |
| 1994 | European Championships | United Kingdom Birmingham Birmingham Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a... |
Men's doubles | |
| 1994 | European Championships | United Kingdom Birmingham Birmingham Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a... |
Mixed doubles | |
| 1998 | European Championships | Netherlands Eindhoven |
Men's singles | |
| 2000 | European Championships | Germany Bremen Bremen The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is... |
Men's singles | |
| 2002 | European Championships |  Croatia ZagrebZagreb Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city... |
Men's singles | |
| 2005 | European Championships |  Denmark AarhusAarhus Aarhus or Århus is the second-largest city in Denmark. The principal port of Denmark, Aarhus is on the east side of the peninsula of Jutland in the geographical center of Denmark... |
Men's singles | |
| 2007 | European Championships |  Serbia BelgradeBelgrade 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... |
Men's team |