Jovan Mikić ( sh-Cyrl, Јован Микић, 13 May 1914 – 11 October 1944), known as Spartak, was a Yugoslav record holder in athletics, and was known for creating the nickname

FK Spartak Subotica Fudbalski klub Spartak Ždrepčeva Krv () is a professional football club from Subotica, Serbia, that plays in the Serbian SuperLiga. The club was founded in 1945 and was named after Jovan Mikić Spartak, the leader of the Partisans in Subotic ...

. He competed in the men's triple jump at the

1936 Summer Olympics The 1936 Summer Olympics (German: ''Olympische Sommerspiele 1936''), officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad (German: ''Spiele der XI. Olympiade'') and commonly known as Berlin 1936 or the Nazi Olympics, were an international multi-sp ...

Biography

Jovan Mikić was born on May 13, 1914 in Opovo. He was the fourth child of his mother Darinka, a teacher, and father Alexander, a school supervisor. After World War I he moved with his family to Subotica. There he finished

Gymnasium (school) ''Gymnasium'' (and variations of the word) is a term in various European languages for a secondary school that prepares students for higher education at a university. It is comparable to the US English term '' preparatory high school''. Bef ...

and college. He studied at the Subotica Law School with a strong influence from Mija Mirković. In 1939 he was admitted as an assistant in market economy school. He then applied for the docent position, but was interrupted by World War II. Mikić spoke several languages from childhood, wrote Poetry, and was an above-average

athlete An athlete (also sportsman or sportswoman) is a person who competes in one or more sports that involve physical strength, speed, or endurance. Athletes may be professionals or amateurs. Most professional athletes have particularly well-devel ...

. From 1932 till 1939 he was Yugoslavia's best pentathlete,

decathlete The decathlon is a combined event in athletics consisting of ten track and field events. The word "decathlon" was formed, in analogy to the word "pentathlon", from Greek δέκα (''déka'', meaning "ten") and ἄθλος (''áthlos'', or ἄθ ...

, long jumper, discus thrower and javelin thrower. Twice a

Balkan The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

champion, Mikic was Yugoslavia's Olympic Games representative. In 1941, Mikić moved to Novi Sad with his wife Ksenija and their son Alexander. Jovan Mikić was an

anti-fascist Anti-fascism is a political movement in opposition to fascist ideologies, groups and individuals. Beginning in European countries in the 1920s, it was at its most significant shortly before and during World War II, where the Axis powers were ...

and one of the commandants of Partisan resistance movement in Hungarian-occupied region of Bačka. He was shot on 10 October 1944, by a Hungarian soldier at

Subotica Subotica ( sr-cyrl, Суботица, ; hu, Szabadka) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the North Bačka District in the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. Formerly the largest city of Vojvodina region, ...

train station. He died on October 11, 1944.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mikic, Jovan 1914 births 1944 deaths People from Opovo Sportspeople from Subotica Yugoslav male triple jumpers Yugoslav Partisans members Athletes (track and field) at the 1936 Summer Olympics Olympic athletes of Yugoslavia Resistance members killed by Nazi Germany