Franjo Mihalic
Encyclopedia
Franjo Mihalić (born March 9, 1920) is a long-distance runner
best known for his 1958 win at the Boston Marathon
and his marathon
silver medal in the 1956 Summer Olympics
. Mihalić competed mostly in marathons, road races
and cross country
races, distinguishing himself by winning many top-level international competitions in the 1950s and setting 25 national records in long-distance track events between 5000 m and 25 km. In 1957 he became the inaugural winner of the Golden Badge, the award for the best sportperson of Yugoslavia
awarded by DSL Sport
daily. He is regarded as the most accomplished male athlete in the history of Croatia
n and Yugoslav track and field
.
), in what is today Sisak-Moslavina County
, Croatia
. His father was a tailor, while his mother was a housewife, and Mihalić was tenth of their twelve children. When he was three years old, the family moved to Zagreb
.
Mihalić started playing sports at age 10. In 1936, while playing football for the local club NK Grafičar, Mihalić met Stjepan Bobek
, three years his junior. At the time, Bobek played for NK Ličanin, Grafičar's main rivals. This was the beginning of a lifelong friendship, as both Mihalić and Bobek (who would become the all-time top scorer for the Yugoslav national football team
) were transferred to Belgrade
after World War II
as Yugoslav star athletes.
Mihalić started working at age 16 as a printing house apprentice. With his first wage he bought a bicycle, joined the Olimp cycling club, and then spending four years racing for them. He was fairly successful, being able to score top ten finishes competing against the best Croatian cyclists of the era. However, his enthusiasm for the sport was dampened by a number of heavy crashes in training and racing which resulted in injuries and permanent scarring.
race. Mihalić was nominated for the race by his football club Grafičar as he was their fastest player. Despite the fact that he entered the first foot race in his life without any training, he placed second out of approximately 200 participants, narrowly losing to an experienced athlete. This event was crucial in his decision to leave cycling and take up athletics. He joined the Concordia Zagreb athletics club and after only several months of training set his first national record in 5000 meters, followed shortly by a national record in 10,000 meters.
During World War II
Mihalić represented the Independent State of Croatia
. He won several international competitions, set five national records, and was named Croatian Sportsman of the Year three times. Mihalić used his top athlete status to avoid being drafted and declined membership in the Ustasha party by saying he was "apolitical
". His first athletics coach Milčo Dobrin, who as a Jew had to wear a Star of David
and was barred from attending competitions, managed to escape to Venezuela
through Switzerland
.
Following WWII Mihalić ran for the newly formed Mladost
athletics club from 1945 to 1947, of which he was a co-founder. In 1947 he was transferred to Belgrade
by the new communist Yugoslav authorities to join the Partizan
sports association. Mihalić got a well-paid job and good conditions for training with his new club, so he decided to settle permanently in Belgrade, where he soon married and became a father.
in Alexandria
, where he won the 10,000 m silver medal, behind Alain Mimoun
. Mihalić also competed in the 10,000 m event at the 1952 Summer Olympics
in Helsinki
, finishing 18th.
The first major success came the following year in Paris, when Mihalić became the world cross country
champion, winning the International Cross Country Championships
, a precursor of today's IAAF World Cross Country Championships
.
Mihalić left his mark on the Saint Silvester Road Race in São Paulo
, Brazil, where he won twice (1952 and 1954), once placed third (1951) and once second (1953, losing to Emil Zátopek
). He won the prestigious Cinque Mulini
cross country race in Italy three times (1957, 1958 and 1961). he is one of only three male athletes with three or more victories in this race.
Apart from his victory in Boston
, Mihalić scored wins in international marathons in Athens
and Moscow
(both in 1957).
in Melbourne
. This was, in his view, the greatest achievement of his sports career. No Yugoslav track and field athlete has managed to win an Olympic medal since.
Mihalić came to Melbourne in a good running shape; by his account, he had been training more than ever. Alain Mimoun
of France
and Veikko Karvonen
of Finland
were considered the pre-race favorites. Some have also seen Mihalić as one of the favorites, as he enhanced his reputation earlier in the year by winning the Balkan Games
marathon in Belgrade
in a then-spectacular time of 2:16:25, which would have been the fastest marathon race ever if the course had not been found too short. Mihalić himself judged that, in a field of 46 Olympic marathon entrants, 15 were better than him, but nevertheless he felt that he had a fighting chance for winning a medal.
The Olympic marathon was held in the afternoon of a very hot day, and the course provided little or no shade, except for the start and finish. Mihalić kept with the leading group, gradually advancing in the standings, but had a serious setback while approaching the first water station at the 15th kilometer. In a scramble for refreshment he tripped, collided with the water table and fell to the ground, injuring himself. Despite bruising his arms and legs he managed to get up and continue the race but only reconnected with the head of the pack at the 20th kilometer. Shortly after that, Mimoun suddenly broke away from the leading group. Mihalić decided against chasing him until the 35th kilometer, when he realized none of the other runners were able to follow. By that time however Mimoun had an advantage of more than a minute, and Mihalić was unable to catch up with him. In the end, he was the second to cross the finish line in a time of 2:26:32, a minute and a half after Mimoun, and a minute in front of the bronze medalist Veikko Karvonen
.
race, held on an unusually warm day. He scored a decisive victory over the field, beating the defending champion John J. Kelley
into second place by nearly five minutes, and leaving the third-placed Einno Pulkkinen more than 11 minutes behind. Mihalić's winning time of 2:25:54 was five minutes short of Kelley's course record established in the previous year, but was still impressive given the hot weather in which the race was held. The "heat-loving Yugoslav's" successes in hot conditions have been attributed to his unusual habit of training in the middle of the day, between noon and 2 pm.
Mihalić's 1958 Boston Marathon win was the first – and, , the only – by an Eastern Europe
an athlete.
in Rome
, finishing 12th, in a time of 2:21:52.6. His third and final Cinque Mulini
win in 1961, shortly before his 41st birthday, was also his last major international result. Mihalić retired from sport in 1966 by winning his last race, the Kadinjača
mini-marathon in Užice
.
In his active career, Mihalić won 14 national championships (12 over 10,000 m and 2 over 5000 m), but never won a national marathon championship.
, three of Mihalić's track records still survive as Serbian national records
: 20,000 m (1952), one hour (1952) and 25,000 m (1957).
-Šabac
race. He then promptly switched to racewalking and won three gold medals in the 5 km event for Serbia and Montenegro
at the veteran Balkan Games, the last one in 2005.
In late 2006, Mimoun, Mihalić and Karvonen, the three marathon medalists in the 1956 Olympics, met in Paris in a reunion organized by the French sports daily L'Équipe
on the 50th anniversary of the Olympic marathon in Melbourne.
In his late 80s Mihalić still walks 3 kilometers every day from his Belgrade
home to the Partizan Stadium
, where he volunteers as an athletics coach. He participated in the 2009 Summer Universiade
in Belgrade as an athletic referee.
Long-distance track event
Long-distance track event races require runners to balance their energy. These types of races are predominantly aerobic in nature and at the highest level, exceptional levels of aerobic endurance is required more than anything else...
best known for his 1958 win at the Boston Marathon
Boston Marathon
The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon hosted by the U.S. city of Boston, Massachusetts, on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897 and inspired by the success of the first modern-day marathon competition in the 1896 Summer Olympics, the Boston Marathon is the world's oldest...
and his marathon
Marathon
The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres , that is usually run as a road race...
silver medal in the 1956 Summer Olympics
1956 Summer Olympics
The 1956 Melbourne Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in Melbourne, Australia, in 1956, with the exception of the equestrian events, which could not be held in Australia due to quarantine regulations...
. Mihalić competed mostly in marathons, road races
Road running
Road running is the sport of running on a measured course over an established road . These events would be classified as long distance according to athletics terminology, with distances typically ranging from 5 kilometers to 42.2 kilometers in the marathon. They may involve large numbers of runners...
and cross country
Cross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
races, distinguishing himself by winning many top-level international competitions in the 1950s and setting 25 national records in long-distance track events between 5000 m and 25 km. In 1957 he became the inaugural winner of the Golden Badge, the award for the best sportperson of Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
awarded by DSL Sport
DSL Sport
Sport is a Serbian daily sports newspaper. Тhе first edition was published on 5 May 1945 under the name Fiskultura...
daily. He is regarded as the most accomplished male athlete in the history of 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 ...
n and Yugoslav track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
.
Early life
Franjo Mihalić was born in 1920 in the village of Ludina (part of KutinaKutina
Kutina is a small city in central Croatia, the largest settlement in the hilly region of Moslavina, in the Sisak-Moslavina county. The town proper has a population of 14,814 , while the total municipality population is 22,815....
), in what is today Sisak-Moslavina County
Sisak-Moslavina County
Sisak-Moslavina County is a Croatian county in eastern Central Croatia and southwestern Slavonia. It is named after the city of Sisak and the region Moslavina just across the river Sava. According to 2001 census it is inhabited by 185 thousand people....
, 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 ...
. His father was a tailor, while his mother was a housewife, and Mihalić was tenth of their twelve children. When he was three years old, the family moved to 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...
.
Mihalić started playing sports at age 10. In 1936, while playing football for the local club NK Grafičar, Mihalić met Stjepan Bobek
Stjepan Bobek
Stjepan Bobek was a football striker from Yugoslavia, and later a football manager. An ethnic Croat, Bobek started playing at a very young age and had spells with several clubs in Zagreb but is mainly remembered for his time at the Serbian side Partizan Belgrade, where he moved to following the...
, three years his junior. At the time, Bobek played for NK Ličanin, Grafičar's main rivals. This was the beginning of a lifelong friendship, as both Mihalić and Bobek (who would become the all-time top scorer for the Yugoslav national football team
Yugoslavia national football team
The Yugoslavia national football team represented the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in association football. It enjoyed a modicum of success in international competition. In 1992, during the Yugoslav wars, the team was suspended from international...
) were transferred to 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...
after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
as Yugoslav star athletes.
Mihalić started working at age 16 as a printing house apprentice. With his first wage he bought a bicycle, joined the Olimp cycling club, and then spending four years racing for them. He was fairly successful, being able to score top ten finishes competing against the best Croatian cyclists of the era. However, his enthusiasm for the sport was dampened by a number of heavy crashes in training and racing which resulted in injuries and permanent scarring.
Entry into athletics
Mihalić's entry into athletics was almost coincidental. In 1940, one of the events of the Workers' Sports Games in Zagreb was a cross countryCross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
race. Mihalić was nominated for the race by his football club Grafičar as he was their fastest player. Despite the fact that he entered the first foot race in his life without any training, he placed second out of approximately 200 participants, narrowly losing to an experienced athlete. This event was crucial in his decision to leave cycling and take up athletics. He joined the Concordia Zagreb athletics club and after only several months of training set his first national record in 5000 meters, followed shortly by a national record in 10,000 meters.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Mihalić represented the Independent State of Croatia
Independent State of Croatia
The Independent State of Croatia was a World War II puppet state of Nazi Germany, established on a part of Axis-occupied Yugoslavia. The NDH was founded on 10 April 1941, after the invasion of Yugoslavia by the Axis powers. All of Bosnia and Herzegovina was annexed to NDH, together with some parts...
. He won several international competitions, set five national records, and was named Croatian Sportsman of the Year three times. Mihalić used his top athlete status to avoid being drafted and declined membership in the Ustasha party by saying he was "apolitical
Apolitical
The state or quality of being apolitical can be the apathy and/or the antipathy towards all political affiliations. Being apolitical can also refer to situations in which people take an unbiased position in regard to political matters.-References:...
". His first athletics coach Milčo Dobrin, who as a Jew had to wear a Star of David
Yellow badge
The yellow badge , also referred to as a Jewish badge, was a cloth patch that Jews were ordered to sew on their outer garments in order to mark them as Jews in public. It is intended to be a badge of shame associated with antisemitism...
and was barred from attending competitions, managed to escape to Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
through Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
.
Following WWII Mihalić ran for the newly formed Mladost
Mladost (sports society)
HAŠK Mladost is an academic sports society from Zagreb, Croatia, sponsored by the University of Zagreb.Clubs named Mladost exist in athletics, field hockey, judo, basketball, bowling on ice and asphalt, fencing, volleyball, swimming, rugby, synchronised swimming, skiing, ice-hockey, ice skating,...
athletics club from 1945 to 1947, of which he was a co-founder. In 1947 he was transferred to 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...
by the new communist Yugoslav authorities to join the Partizan
AK Partizan
AK Partizan or Atletski Klub Partizan is an athletics club from Belgrade, Serbia. The club is part of the sports society JSD Partizan.-History:The club was founded in 1945, being among the first five clubs of JSD Partizan...
sports association. Mihalić got a well-paid job and good conditions for training with his new club, so he decided to settle permanently in Belgrade, where he soon married and became a father.
International success
One of the early international successes for Mihalić were the 1951 Mediterranean Games1951 Mediterranean Games
The first Mediterranean Games were held in Alexandria, Egypt, where 734 athletes from 10 countries participated. The event was held from 5 October to 20 October 1951.-Medal table:...
in Alexandria
Alexandria
Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
, where he won the 10,000 m silver medal, behind Alain Mimoun
Alain Mimoun
Alain Mimoun is a retired French runner and Olympic marathon champion.-Early life:Born in El Telagh, then in French Algeria, Mimoun lost several years of competition to World War II...
. Mihalić also competed in the 10,000 m event at the 1952 Summer Olympics
1952 Summer Olympics
The 1952 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Helsinki, Finland in 1952. Helsinki had been earlier given the 1940 Summer Olympics, which were cancelled due to World War II...
in Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
, finishing 18th.
The first major success came the following year in Paris, when Mihalić became the world cross country
Cross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
champion, winning the International Cross Country Championships
International Cross Country Championships
The International Cross Country Championships was an annual international competition in cross country running. It was created in 1903 by the International Cross Country Union and it marked the first time that an annual international championships had been held for the sport.It began its life as...
, a precursor of today's IAAF World Cross Country Championships
IAAF World Cross Country Championships
IAAF World Cross Country Championships is the most important competition in international cross country running. Held annually and organised by International Association of Athletics Federations , it was inaugurated in 1973, when it replaced the International Cross Country Championships...
.
Mihalić left his mark on the Saint Silvester Road Race in São Paulo
São Paulo
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
, Brazil, where he won twice (1952 and 1954), once placed third (1951) and once second (1953, losing to Emil Zátopek
Emil Zátopek
Emil Zátopek was a Czech long-distance runner best known for winning three gold medals at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki. He won gold in the 5000 metres and 10,000 metres runs, but his final medal came when he decided at the last minute to compete in the first marathon of his life...
). He won the prestigious Cinque Mulini
Cinque Mulini
The Cinque Mulini is an annual cross country running race in San Vittore Olona, Italy. First held in 1933, the course is unusual in that it revolves around a number of water mills, which lend the competition its name – meaning Five Mills in Italian. It is one of the IAAF cross country permit...
cross country race in Italy three times (1957, 1958 and 1961). he is one of only three male athletes with three or more victories in this race.
Apart from his victory in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Mihalić scored wins in international marathons in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
and Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
(both in 1957).
1956 Summer Olympics
Mihalić won the marathon silver medal at the 1956 Summer Olympics1956 Summer Olympics
The 1956 Melbourne Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in Melbourne, Australia, in 1956, with the exception of the equestrian events, which could not be held in Australia due to quarantine regulations...
in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
. This was, in his view, the greatest achievement of his sports career. No Yugoslav track and field athlete has managed to win an Olympic medal since.
Mihalić came to Melbourne in a good running shape; by his account, he had been training more than ever. Alain Mimoun
Alain Mimoun
Alain Mimoun is a retired French runner and Olympic marathon champion.-Early life:Born in El Telagh, then in French Algeria, Mimoun lost several years of competition to World War II...
of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Veikko Karvonen
Veikko Karvonen
Veikko Leo Karvonen was a Finnish athlete who mainly competed in the marathon. He won the bronze medal in the marathon at the 1956 Summer Olympics...
of Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
were considered the pre-race favorites. Some have also seen Mihalić as one of the favorites, as he enhanced his reputation earlier in the year by winning the Balkan Games
Balkan Games
The Balkan Games are a regional multi-sport event held between nations from the Balkans. The first Games were held in Athens in 1929, and the most recent LXV Games were held in Larisa in 2010.-Organization:...
marathon 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...
in a then-spectacular time of 2:16:25, which would have been the fastest marathon race ever if the course had not been found too short. Mihalić himself judged that, in a field of 46 Olympic marathon entrants, 15 were better than him, but nevertheless he felt that he had a fighting chance for winning a medal.
The Olympic marathon was held in the afternoon of a very hot day, and the course provided little or no shade, except for the start and finish. Mihalić kept with the leading group, gradually advancing in the standings, but had a serious setback while approaching the first water station at the 15th kilometer. In a scramble for refreshment he tripped, collided with the water table and fell to the ground, injuring himself. Despite bruising his arms and legs he managed to get up and continue the race but only reconnected with the head of the pack at the 20th kilometer. Shortly after that, Mimoun suddenly broke away from the leading group. Mihalić decided against chasing him until the 35th kilometer, when he realized none of the other runners were able to follow. By that time however Mimoun had an advantage of more than a minute, and Mihalić was unable to catch up with him. In the end, he was the second to cross the finish line in a time of 2:26:32, a minute and a half after Mimoun, and a minute in front of the bronze medalist Veikko Karvonen
Veikko Karvonen
Veikko Leo Karvonen was a Finnish athlete who mainly competed in the marathon. He won the bronze medal in the marathon at the 1956 Summer Olympics...
.
1958 Boston Marathon
Another highlight of Mihalić's career came in the 1958 Boston MarathonBoston Marathon
The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon hosted by the U.S. city of Boston, Massachusetts, on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897 and inspired by the success of the first modern-day marathon competition in the 1896 Summer Olympics, the Boston Marathon is the world's oldest...
race, held on an unusually warm day. He scored a decisive victory over the field, beating the defending champion John J. Kelley
John J. Kelley
John Joseph Kelley was the winner of the 1957 Boston Marathon and the marathon at the 1959 Pan American Games and a member of two United States Olympic Marathon teams. He was often dubbed John "The Younger" to avoid confusion with Johnny "The Elder" Kelley, the winner of the 1935 and 1945 Boston...
into second place by nearly five minutes, and leaving the third-placed Einno Pulkkinen more than 11 minutes behind. Mihalić's winning time of 2:25:54 was five minutes short of Kelley's course record established in the previous year, but was still impressive given the hot weather in which the race was held. The "heat-loving Yugoslav's" successes in hot conditions have been attributed to his unusual habit of training in the middle of the day, between noon and 2 pm.
Mihalić's 1958 Boston Marathon win was the first – and, , the only – by an Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
an athlete.
Later career and retirement
Mihalić participated in the marathon at the 1960 Summer Olympics1960 Summer Olympics
The 1960 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held from August 25 to September 11, 1960 in Rome, Italy...
in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, finishing 12th, in a time of 2:21:52.6. His third and final Cinque Mulini
Cinque Mulini
The Cinque Mulini is an annual cross country running race in San Vittore Olona, Italy. First held in 1933, the course is unusual in that it revolves around a number of water mills, which lend the competition its name – meaning Five Mills in Italian. It is one of the IAAF cross country permit...
win in 1961, shortly before his 41st birthday, was also his last major international result. Mihalić retired from sport in 1966 by winning his last race, the Kadinjača
Kadinjača
Kadinjača is a village, fourteen kilometers from the city of Užice, Serbia, on the route of the highway Užice - Bjelovar. It is famous for its memorial of Kadinjača....
mini-marathon in Užice
Užice
Užice is a city and municipality in western Serbia, located at the banks of the Đetinja river. It is the administrative center of the Zlatibor District...
.
In his active career, Mihalić won 14 national championships (12 over 10,000 m and 2 over 5000 m), but never won a national marathon championship.
, three of Mihalić's track records still survive as Serbian national records
Serbian records in athletics
The following are the national records in athletics in Serbia maintained by its national athletics federation: Atletski Savez Srbije .-Men:-Women:-Men:-Women:# = not officially ratifiedht = hand timing-External links:* *...
: 20,000 m (1952), one hour (1952) and 25,000 m (1957).
Veteran career
Mihalić participated in 10 km runs until his late 70s. He had to quit running on doctor's orders in the early 2000s when he severely injured his knee in the CerCer (mountain)
Cer is a mountain in western Serbia, 30 kilometers from Šabac, 100 kilometers west of Belgrade. The highest peak is 689 m high.During World War I, the Battle of Cer was fought on Cer, in which Serbian forces defeated Austria-Hungary....
-Šabac
Šabac
Šabac is a city and municipality in western Serbia, along the Sava river, in the historic region of Mačva. It is the administrative center of the Mačva District. The city has a population of 52,822 , while population of the municipality is 115,347...
race. He then promptly switched to racewalking and won three gold medals in the 5 km event for Serbia and Montenegro
Serbia and Montenegro
Serbia and Montenegro was a country in southeastern Europe, formed from two former republics of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia : Serbia and Montenegro. Following the breakup of Yugoslavia, it was established in 1992 as a federation called the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia...
at the veteran Balkan Games, the last one in 2005.
In late 2006, Mimoun, Mihalić and Karvonen, the three marathon medalists in the 1956 Olympics, met in Paris in a reunion organized by the French sports daily L'Équipe
L'Équipe
L'Équipe is a French nationwide daily newspaper devoted to sports, owned by Éditions Philippe Amaury. The paper is noted for coverage of football , rugby, motorsports and cycling...
on the 50th anniversary of the Olympic marathon in Melbourne.
In his late 80s Mihalić still walks 3 kilometers every day from his 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...
home to the Partizan Stadium
Partizan Stadium
Partizan Stadium is a football and track-and-field stadium in Belgrade, Serbia, owned by FK Partizan. It carried the name JNA Stadium for a long time and was the site of Youth Day parade. Even today, the majority of football fans in all countries of the former Yugoslavia call it by its old name....
, where he volunteers as an athletics coach. He participated in the 2009 Summer Universiade
2009 Summer Universiade
The 2009 Summer Universiade, officially known as the XXV Summer Universiade were celebrated in Belgrade, Serbia from 1 July to 12 July 2009. The event has also been organised by a range of co-host cities mostly in Vojvodina , close to Belgrade. It was the largest sporting event ever to be organised...
in Belgrade as an athletic referee.