Perica Vlašić (2 June 1932 – 12 August 2004) was a Croatian

rower Rowing, often called crew in the United States, is the sport of racing boats using oars. It differs from paddling sports in that rowing oars (called blades in the United Kingdom) are attached to the boat using rowlocks, while paddles are ...

who competed for

Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...

at the

1956 Summer Olympics The 1956 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XVI Olympiad and officially branded as Melbourne 1956, were an international multi-sport event held in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, from 22 November to 8 December ...

and at the

1960 Summer Olympics The 1960 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad () and commonly known as Rome 1960 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 25 August to 11 September 1960 in Rome, Italy. Rome had previously been awar ...

. He also competed in seven

European Rowing Championships The European Rowing Championships is an international rowing regatta organised by World Rowing (named FISA until 2020) for European rowing nations, plus Israel, which, though not a member of the European federation, is treated as a European n ...

and won eight consecutive Yugoslav championships in the

single scull A single scull (or a scull), abbreviated as a 1x, is a racing shell designed for a single person who propels the boat with two oars, one in each hand. Racing boats (often called "shells") are long, narrow, and broadly semi-circular in cross-se ...

, as well as seven

double scull A double scull, also abbreviated as a 2x, is a rowing boat used in the sport of competitive rowing. It is designed for two persons who propel the boat by sculling with two oars each, one in each hand. Racing boats (often called "shells") ar ...

national championships.

Biography

Perica Vlašić was born in

Vela Luka Vela Luka () is a small town and the only naselje , settlement in the eponymous municipality in Dubrovnik-Neretva County in southern Dalmatia, Croatia. The town is located on the western side of the island of Korčula at the bottom of a wide bay ...

on the island of

Korčula Korčula () is a Croatian island in the Adriatic Sea. It has an area of , is long and on average wide, and lies just off the Dalmatian coast. Its 15,522 inhabitants (2011) make it the second most populous Adriatic island after Krk. The populat ...

in Croatia. In 1947, he began rowing for VK Ošjak, a local rowing club that was founded in the same year.Vela Luka Info. Sport - Vlasic
/ref> Racing for the club in a

coxed four A coxed four, abbreviated as a 4+, is a racing shell used in the sport of competitive rowing. It is designed for four persons who propel the boat with sweep oars and is steered by a coxswain. The crew consists of four rowers, each having one ...

, he had four consecutive wins at youth level in the Croatian national championships from 1948 to 1951 although in 1950 he turned to

sculling Sculling is the use of oars to propel a boat by moving them through the water on both sides of the craft, or moving one oar over the stern. A long, narrow boat with sliding seats, rigged with two oars per rower may be referred to as a scull, its ...

. In 1952, he went into compulsory military service in the Yugoslav Army, and served in

Pula Pula, also known as Pola, is the largest city in Istria County, west Croatia, and the List of cities and towns in Croatia, seventh-largest city in the country, situated at the southern tip of the Istria, Istrian peninsula in western Croatia, wi ...

, where he was spotted by Luka Marasović the rowing coach. Marasović persuaded him to join HVK Mornar, and in 1953, he won the

for Mornar in the Croatian championship. He went on to win the Yugoslav national championship in single scull as well as

, paired with Stevan Vaci, a rower from the VK Tamiš club based in Pančevo. He entered the Single scull in the European championship and finished first in the final on 18 August 1953 ahead of Teodor Kocerka of Poland. He could achieve a very fast rowing rate of 58 strokes per minute.Croatian Sports
/ref> He won the Sportske novosti Sportsman of the Year award in 1953. In 1954, Vlašić went on a one-month tour round Europe and competed in several races in borrowed boats. He won at

Duisburg Duisburg (; , ) is a city in the Ruhr metropolitan area of the western States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Lying on the confluence of the Rhine (Lower Rhine) and the Ruhr (river), Ruhr rivers in the center of the Rhine-Ruh ...

and then at

Groningen Groningen ( , ; ; or ) is the capital city and main municipality of Groningen (province), Groningen province in the Netherlands. Dubbed the "capital of the north", Groningen is the largest place as well as the economic and cultural centre of ...

, and won the

Diamond Challenge Sculls The Diamond Challenge Sculls is a Rowing (sport), rowing event for men's single sculls at the annual Henley Royal Regatta on the River Thames at Henley-on-Thames in England. First run in 1844, it is open to male scullers from all eligible rowin ...

(the premier singles sculls event) at the

Henley Royal Regatta Henley Royal Regatta (or Henley Regatta, its original name pre-dating Royal patronage) is a Rowing (sport), rowing event held annually on the River Thames by the town of Henley-on-Thames, England. It was established on 26 March 1839. It diffe ...

in England, rowing for the Mornar Club, he beat Swiss rower Alain Colomb in the final. He had arrived in London a day before the competition without a trainer or boat, and borrowed a boat from an English trainer to compete. Vlašić competed in the single scull rowing for

Yugoslavia at the 1956 Summer Olympics Athletes from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia competed at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia. As a partial support to the 1956 Summer Olympics#Participation and boycotts, Dutch-l ...

.Sports Reference Olympic Sports - Perica Vlašić
/ref> Four years later, he partnered Joža Lovec in the

rowing for Yugoslavia at the 1960 Summer Olympics. Vlašić won eight consecutive Yugoslav championships in scull, as well as seven double scull national championships, in six of which he was paired with Nikola Lučin. By the end of his career, Vlašić had won around 40 races in international competitions, and another 40 in national championships in single scull and double scull races. In 1995, Vlašić was awarded the Croatian

Franjo Bučar State Award for Sport Franjo Bučar State Award for Sport () is the highest recognition that Republic of Croatia gives for extraordinary achievements and contributions of remarkable meaning for the development of sport in Croatia. This award has been given since 1991. I ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vlasic, Perica 1932 births 2004 deaths People from Vela Luka Sportspeople from Dubrovnik-Neretva County Croatian male rowers Olympic rowers for Yugoslavia Rowers at the 1956 Summer Olympics Rowers at the 1960 Summer Olympics Franjo Bučar Award winners European Rowing Championships medalists