Franjo Mihalić

The most famous Yugoslav marathon runner, Franjo Mihalić was born in Kutina on 9 March 1920. Just before the outbreak of the Second World War he took up football in Zagreb (“Grafičar″), then cycling (“Olimp″) and, finally, in 1941 athletics (“Konkordija″). After the war he joined “Mladost″. In 1947 he transferred to “Partizan″ where he still coaches young athletes.
He was a Yugoslav and Balkan champion and boasts 25 national records in the 5000m, the 10,000m, the one hour race, the 20km and the 25km.
His personal bests in the Olympic events are 14:18,0 in the 5000m; 29:37,6 in the 10,000m; and 2:21,23 in the marathon. He triumphed in the marathons in Tokyo, Moscow, Boston and Athens, and in Sao Paolo’s “Saint Silvester Race”. In 1952 he won “Cross des Nationes” in Paris, the forerunner of the world championships.
His best ranking at the European championships was the fifth place in 1954 in the 10,000 m race (29:59,6). He competed in three editions of the Olympic Games – debuting in 1952 in Helsinki with the 18th place in the 10,000m (30:53,2); winning his Olympic medal in Melbourne in 1956, the marathon silver with 2:26,32; ending his Olympic career in Rome in 1960 at the age of 39 with the 12th place in the marathon with 2:21,52.
Franjo Mihalić worked as a physical education teacher at the Military Academy, had a long and fruitful career as a veteran, and today coaches runners in “Partizan”, working at the same time as an athletic judge and organiser of the athletic competitions.