Perica Vlašić (2 June 1932 – 12 August 2004) was a

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

rower Rowing, sometimes called crew in the United States, is the sport of racing boats using oars. It differs from paddling sports in that rowing oars are attached to the boat using oarlocks, while paddles are not connected to the boat. Rowing is ...

who competed for

Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...

at the

1956 Summer Olympics The 1956 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, from 22 November to 8 December 1956, with the exception of the equestrian events, whi ...

and at the

1960 Summer Olympics The 1960 Summer Olympics ( it, Giochi Olimpici estivi del 1960), officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad ( it, Giochi della XVII Olimpiade) and commonly known as Rome 1960 ( it, Roma 1960), were an international multi-sport event held ...

. He also competed in seven

European Rowing Championships The European Rowing Championships is an international Rowing regatta organised by FISA (the International Rowing Federation) for European rowing nations, plus Israel which, though not a member of the European federation is treated as a European ...

and won eight consecutive Yugoslav championships in the

single scull A single scull (or a scull) is a rowing boat designed for a single person who propels the boat with two oars, one in each hand. Racing boats (often called "shells") are long, narrow, and broadly semi-circular in cross-section in order to minimi ...

, as well as seven

double scull A double scull is a rowing boat used in the sport of competitive rowing. It is designed for two persons who propel the boat by sculling with two oars each, one in each hand. Racing boats (often called "shells") are long, narrow, and broadly s ...

national championships. Perica Vlašić was born in

Vela Luka Vela Luka (, it, Vallegrande) is a small town and a municipality in Dubrovnik-Neretva County in southern Dalmatia, Croatia. The town is located on the western side of the island of Korčula at the bottom of a wide bay which has many indented cove ...

on the island of

Korčula Korčula (, it, Curzola) is a Croatian island in the Adriatic Sea. It has an area of , is long and on average wide, and lies just off the Dalmatian coast. Its 15,522 inhabitants (2011) make it the second most populous Adriatic island after K ...

in Croatia. In 1947, he began rowing for VK Ošjak, a local rowing club that was founded in the same year.Vela Luka Info. Sport - Vlasic
/ref> Racing for the club in a

coxed four A coxed four, also known as a 4+, is a rowing boat used in the sport of competitive rowing. It is designed for four persons who propel the boat with sweep oars and is steered by a coxswain. The crew consists of four rowers, each having one oa ...

, he had four consecutive wins at youth level in the Croatian national championships from 1948 to 1951 although in 1950 he turned to

sculling Sculling is the use of oars to propel a boat by moving them through the water on both sides of the craft, or moving one oar over the stern. A long, narrow boat with sliding seats, rigged with two oars per rower may be referred to as a scull, it ...

. In 1952, he went into compulsory military service in the Yugoslav Army, and served in

Pula Pula (; also known as Pola, it, Pola , hu, Pòla, Venetian language, Venetian; ''Pola''; Istriot language, Istriot: ''Puola'', Slovene language, Slovene: ''Pulj'') is the largest city in Istria County, Croatia, and the List of cities and town ...

, where he was spotted by Luka Marasović the rowing coach. Marasović persuaded him to join HVK Mornar, and in 1953, he won the

for Mornar in the Croatian championship. He went on to win the Yugoslav national championship in single scull as well as

, paired with Stevan Vaci, a rower from the VK Tamiš club based in Pančevo. He entered the Single scull in the European championship and finished first in the final on 18 August 1953 ahead of

Teodor Kocerka Teodor Kocerka (6 August 1927 – 25 September 1999) was a Polish rower who competed in the 1952 Summer Olympics, those of 1956, and those of 1960.https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ko/teodor-kocerka-1.html profile He was bor ...

of Poland. He could achieve a very fast rowing rate of 58 strokes per minute.Croatian Sports
/ref> He won the Sportske novosti Sportsman of the Year award in 1953. In 1954, Vlašić went on a one-month tour round Europe and competed in several races in borrowed boats. He won at

Duisburg Duisburg () is a city in the Ruhr metropolitan area of the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Lying on the confluence of the Rhine and the Ruhr rivers in the center of the Rhine-Ruhr Region, Duisburg is the 5th largest city in Nor ...

and then at

Groningen Groningen (; gos, Grunn or ) is the capital city and main municipality of Groningen province in the Netherlands. The ''capital of the north'', Groningen is the largest place as well as the economic and cultural centre of the northern part of t ...

, and won the

Diamond Challenge Sculls The Diamond Challenge Sculls is a rowing event for men's single sculls at the annual Henley Royal Regatta on the River Thames at Henley-on-Thames in England. First run in 1844, it is open to male scullers from all eligible rowing clubs.

Henley Royal Regatta Henley Royal Regatta (or Henley Regatta, its original name pre-dating Royal patronage) is a rowing event held annually on the River Thames by the town of Henley-on-Thames, England. It was established on 26 March 1839. It differs from the thre ...

in England, beating Swiss rower A Colomb in the final. He had arrived in London a day before the competition without a trainer or boat, and borrowed a boat from an English trainer to compete. Vlašić competed in the single scull rowing for

Yugoslavia at the 1956 Summer Olympics Athletes from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia competed at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia. 35 competitors, 32 men and 3 women, took part in 16 events in 8 sports. Medalists ...

.Sports Reference Olympic Sports - Perica Vlašić
/ref> Four years later, he partnered Joža Lovec in the

rowing for

Yugoslavia at the 1960 Summer Olympics Athletes from the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia competed at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, Italy. 116 competitors, 107 men and 9 women, took part in 64 events in 14 sports. Yugoslavia had won silver medals in Men's Football (Soccer) ...

. Vlašić won eight consecutive Yugoslav championships in scull, as well as seven double scull national championships, in six of which he was paired with Nikola Lučin. By the end of his career, Vlašić had won around 40 races in international competitions, and another 40 in national championships in single scull and double scull races. In 1995, Vlašić was awarded the Croatian

Franjo Bučar State Award for Sport Franjo Bučar State Award for Sport ( hr, Državna nagrada za šport "Franjo Bučar") is the highest recognition that Republic of Croatia gives for extraordinary achievements and contributions of remarkable meaning for the development of sport in Cr ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vlasic, Perica 1932 births 2004 deaths People from Vela Luka Croatian male rowers Olympic rowers of Yugoslavia Rowers at the 1956 Summer Olympics Rowers at the 1960 Summer Olympics Franjo Bučar Award winners European Rowing Championships medalists