Dragutin Šurbek
Encyclopedia
Dragutin Šurbek is a legendary former table tennis
player from Croatia
. He is one of the most successful Croatian table tennis players ever.
One of the most extraordinary European players ever, he won hundreds of tournaments during the peak of his table tennis career (1964–1986), from Tokyo
and Novi Sad
to Beijing
and Zagreb
. His partner in doubles was the almost equally powerful player Antun Stipančić-Tova
. Šurbek competed with Zoran Primorac
at the 1992 Summer Olympics
for Croatia
when he was 46 year old.
Dragutin Šurbek's biggest successes were two World Championship titles in the Men's Doubles event. He won gold medals in 1979 (with Stipančić) and in 1983 (with Zoran Kalinić). In the Men's Singles event, he won the bronze medal three times (in 1971, 1973 and 1981). He was the European champion in Men's Singles in 1968 and in Men's Doubles in 1970, 1982 and 1984. With the SFR Yugoslavia national team, he was European champion in 1976.
He received the Golden Badge award for the best athlete of Yugoslavia
in 1983
.
Šurbek is currently a table tennis coach
in Zagreb.
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 one of the most successful Croatian table tennis players ever.
One of the most extraordinary European players ever, he won hundreds of tournaments during the peak of his table tennis career (1964–1986), from Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
and Novi Sad
Novi Sad
Novi Sad is the capital of the northern Serbian province of Vojvodina, and the administrative centre of the South Bačka District. The city is located in the southern part of Pannonian Plain on the Danube river....
to Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
and 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...
. His partner in doubles was the almost equally powerful player Antun Stipančić-Tova
Antun Stipancic
Antun "Tova" Stipančić was a top Croatian professional table tennis player and one of the most renowned personalities in the history of the competition, earning him the nickname "the golden left hand of Croatian sport"...
. Šurbek competed with Zoran Primorac
Zoran Primorac
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 .-Biography:Primorac was born in Zadar and started playing...
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...
for Croatia
Croatia at the 1992 Summer Olympics
Croatia competed in the Summer Olympic Games for the first time as an independent nation at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. Previously, Croatian athletes had competed for Yugoslavia at the Olympic Games.-Medalists:-Athletics:...
when he was 46 year old.
Dragutin Šurbek's biggest successes were two World Championship titles in the Men's Doubles event. He won gold medals in 1979 (with Stipančić) and in 1983 (with Zoran Kalinić). In the Men's Singles event, he won the bronze medal three times (in 1971, 1973 and 1981). He was the European champion in Men's Singles in 1968 and in Men's Doubles in 1970, 1982 and 1984. With the SFR Yugoslavia national team, he was European champion in 1976.
He received the Golden Badge award for the best athlete 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,...
in 1983
1983 in sports
1983 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup:** Men's overall season champion: Phil Mahre, United States** Women's overall season champion: Tamara McKinney, United States-American football:...
.
Šurbek is currently a table tennis coach
Coach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
in Zagreb.