Anton "Tone" Pogačnik is a Slovenia

Slovenia

Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...

n cross-country skier

Cross-country skiing

Cross-country skiing is a winter sport in which participants propel themselves across snow-covered terrain using skis and poles...

 who participated in the 1948 Winter Olympics

1948 Winter Olympics

The 1948 Winter Olympics, officially known as the V Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated in 1948 in St. Moritz, Switzerland. The Games were the first to be celebrated after World War II; it had been twelve years since the last Winter Games in 1936...

 in St. Moritz

St. Moritz

St. Moritz is a resort town in the Engadine valley in Switzerland. It is a municipality in the district of Maloja in the Swiss canton of Graubünden...

, 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....

. He was born in Jesenice. In the Men's 18 km

Cross-country skiing at the 1948 Winter Olympics - Men's 18 km

The 18 kilometre cross-country skiing event was part of the cross-country skiing at the 1948 Winter Olympics programme. It was the fifth appearance of the event. The competition was held on Saturday, January 31, 1948....

 competition, he placed 56th with a time of 1'29:08. He also placed 9th with the Yugoslavian

Yugoslavia at the 1948 Winter Olympics

Athletes from the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia competed at the 1948 Winter Olympics in St. Moritz, Switzerland.- Alpine skiing:MenMen's combined...

 team in the Men's 4x10 km relay

Cross-country skiing at the 1948 Winter Olympics - Men's 4x10 km relay

The 4x10 kilometre relay cross-country skiing event was part of the cross-country skiing at the 1948 Winter Olympics programme. It was the second appearance of the event. The competition was held on Tuesday, February 3, 1948....

.

On April 26, 1946, Pogačnik nearly fell to his death on Triglav

Triglav

Triglav is the highest mountain in Slovenia and the highest peak of the Julian Alps. While its name, meaning "three-headed", can describe its shape as seen from the Bohinj area, the mountain was most probably named after the Slavic god Triglav. The mountain is the preeminent symbol of the Slovene...

, the highest mountain in Slovenia, after falling down a gap of 96 meters. He survived with no serious internal injuries. After becoming confused and lost in the fog, he approached a dark section that he believed to be a rock structure, but was actually a drop. He landed on a snowy field between two rocky pillars and became stuck, having to wait several hours before being rescued. The next day, he descended the same route alone. Pogačnik celebrated his 90th birthday in 2009. His wife died in 1999. Since the death of Karlo Umek on September 25, 2010, he has been the oldest living Slovenian Olympic

Olympic Games

The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...

athlete.