Elzan Bibić (; born 8 January 1999) is a Serbian middle- and
long-distance runner
Long-distance running, or endurance running, is a form of continuous running over distances of at least . Physiologically, it is largely Aerobic exercise, aerobic in nature and requires stamina as well as mental strength.
Within endurance ru ...
. He won the bronze medal in the
1500 metres
The 1500 metres or 1500-metre run is the foremost middle distance track event in athletics. The distance has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896 and the World Championships in Athletics since 1983. It is equivalent to 1.5 kilomet ...
3000 metres
The 3000 metres or 3000-metre run is a track running event, also commonly known as the "3K" or "3K run", where 7.5 laps are run around an outdoor 400 m track, or 15 laps around a 200 m indoor track.
It is debated whether the 3000 m sho ...
Bibić initially played soccer before training as a distance runner. He won the boys' 3000-meter race at the 2015 European Youth Summer Olympic Festival with a time of 8:50.10.
On July 7, 2017, he won a 3000-meter race at a track meet in
Zenica
Zenica ( ; ) is a city in Bosnia and Herzegovina and an administrative and economic center of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina's Zenica-Doboj Canton. It is located in the Bosna (river), Bosna river valley, about north of Sarajevo. The ...
, after which he felt knee pain. Shortly afterwards he was diagnosed with damaged ligaments in his knee, his first serious injury.
On September 4, 2018, Bibić ran his then personal best of 3:37.79 (and still reigning Serbian U20 national record) in the men's 1500 meters at the
Hanžeković Memorial
Hanžeković Memorial (), known also as Zagreb Meeting and Hanžek (hypocorism of the surname ''Hanžeković''), is an annual three-day Athletics (sport), athletics event held first weekend of September at three different locations in Zagreb, Cro ...
meet in
Zagreb
Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...
, finishing in last place among a deep international field led by first place finisher
Elijah Manangoi
Elijah Motonei Manangoi (born 5 January 1993) is a Kenyan middle-distance runner. He competed in the 1500 metres at the 2015 World Championships in Athletics in Beijing winning the silver medal and at the 2017 World Championships, where he won t ...
Bibić was born in Karajukića Bunari, known as the "Siberia" of Serbia due to extremely cold temperatures which are frequently recorded there. Karajukića Bunari is above 1,000 meters in altitude, as it is located on a plateau called
Pešter
The Pešter Plateau (), or simply Pešter ( sr-Cyrl, Пештер, ) is a karst plateau in southwestern Serbia, in the Raška (or Sandžak) region.
It lies at an altitude of , with the highest point (''Kuljarski vrh'') at 1,492 meters. The terr ...
. Bibić went to a medical trade school in his hometown, Novi Pazar. His parents were athletes growing up. His father Murat played soccer and his mother Fatima played volleyball.
International competitions
Personal bests
*
800 metres
The 800 metres, or 800 meters (American and British English spelling differences#-re.2C -er, US spelling), is a common track running event. It is the shortest commonly run middle-distance running event. The 800 metres is run over two laps of a ...
– 1:50.31 (
Ćuprija
Ćuprija (Serbian Cyrillic: Ћуприја, ) is a town and municipality located in the Pomoravlje District of central Serbia. The population of the town is 16,522, while the municipality has 25,325 inhabitants (2022 census).
History
The Romans ...
2021)
*
1500 metres
The 1500 metres or 1500-metre run is the foremost middle distance track event in athletics. The distance has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896 and the World Championships in Athletics since 1983. It is equivalent to 1.5 kilomet ...
– 3:35.07 (
Zagreb
Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...
2020)
** 1500 metres indoor – 3:37.84 (
Belgrade
Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...
2022)
**
One mile
The mile run (1,760 yards, 5,280 feet, or exactly 1,609.344 metres) is a middle-distance foot race.
The history of the mile run event began in England, where it was used as a distance for gambling races. It survived track and field' ...
indoor – 3:55.90 (
Ostrava
Ostrava (; ; ) is a city in the north-east of the Czech Republic and the capital of the Moravian-Silesian Region. It has about 283,000 inhabitants. It lies from the border with Poland, at the confluences of four rivers: Oder, Opava (river), Opa ...
2023)
*
3000 metres
The 3000 metres or 3000-metre run is a track running event, also commonly known as the "3K" or "3K run", where 7.5 laps are run around an outdoor 400 m track, or 15 laps around a 200 m indoor track.
It is debated whether the 3000 m sho ...
– 7:39.45 (
Rovereto
Rovereto (; "wood of sessile oaks"; locally: ''Roveredo'') is a city and ''comune'' in Trentino in northern Italy, located in the Vallagarina valley of the Adige River.
History
Rovereto was an ancient fortress town standing at the fronti ...
2021)
** 3000 metres indoor – 7:39.96 (
Toruń
Toruń is a city on the Vistula River in north-central Poland and a World Heritage Sites of Poland, UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its population was 196,935 as of December 2021. Previously, it was the capital of the Toruń Voivodeship (1975–199 ...
2022)
*
5000 metres
The 5000 metres or 5000-metre run is a common long-distance running event in track and field, approximately equivalent to or . It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics, run over laps of a sta ...
– 13:24.42 (
Huelva
Huelva ( , , ) is a municipality of Spain and the capital of the Huelva (province), province of Huelva, in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia. Located in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula, it sits betwee ...