Đorđe Milić (born 12 October 1972), sometimes spelled as George Milic, is a

Serbian Serbian may refer to: * Pertaining to Serbia in Southeast Europe; in particular **Serbs, a South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans ** Serbian language ** Serbian culture **Demographics of Serbia, includes other ethnic groups within the co ...

retired middle-distance track athlete. He competed for

FR Yugoslavia The State Union of Serbia and Montenegro or simply Serbia and Montenegro, known until 2003 as the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and commonly referred to as FR Yugoslavia (FRY) or simply Yugoslavia, was a country in Southeast Europe locate ...

in the men's 1500 meters at two

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competitions, in

1997 Events January * January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States. * January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis. * January 1 ...

and

1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...

. He subsequently moved to the

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where he competed as an elite miler. Officially, his lifetime best in the mile is listed as 4:00.97 according to multiple sources, however it was reported that he once ran 3:57.

Running career

Milić was mentored by Yugoslav-record holder for the men's 1500 meters,

Dragan Zdravković Dragan Zdravković (born 16 December 1959 in Senjski Rudnik) is a Serbian former middle-distance runner. He represented Yugoslavia in international competition from the late 1970s to 1980s, and was a finalist at the 1980 Summer Olympics. Zdravkov ...

. Milić trained with

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. Honours Men *National ...

up until he left Yugoslavia, and by the end of his spell with Partizan's track club, he had posted the club's third fastest men's 1500 meter time in history. At the

1997 Summer Universiade The 1997 Summer Universiade, also known as the XIX Summer Universiade, took place in the island of Sicily, Italy. The United States topped the medal table. Venues Catania * Stadio Angelo Massimino — closing ceremonies and athletics * Teatro ...

, he finished in seventh overall in the men's 1500 meters. He also made an appearance in the men's 1500 at the 1999 Summer Universiade, although he did not place past the qualifying rounds. He then moved to the

, where he trained professionally with West Side Runners (sometimes in meet lists spelled as WSX/WSX TC) in

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. After a few years of training, he posted a mile time of 4:00.97 at the 2002 New Balance Brunswick Maine Distance Festival, placing sixth in a competitive field which included Graham Hood and Nate Brannen. Milić also ran the mile at the 2003 New Balance Games. Eventually, he would switch clubs and run with Westchester Puma, with whom he won the indoor men's mile at the 2003 GBTC Invitational at

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

.
GBTC Invitational - Gordon Indoor Track Facility - Harvard University - Sunday, 19 January 2003

Later career

He went on to manage a running store in

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. When invited to a debate with a physical therapist on barefoot runners, he expressed skepticism of

barefoot running Barefoot running, also called "natural running", is the act of running without footwear. With the advent of modern footwear, running barefoot has become less common in most parts of the world but is still practiced in parts of Africa and Latin A ...

. He refused to sell Vibrams in his store because he felt that they may pose long-term risks to his customers.

Notes

* Although Milić is of

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

n nationality, his presence in international athletic competition dates before the

Constitutional Charter of Serbia and Montenegro The Constitutional Charter of Serbia and Montenegro (, ''Ustavna povelja Srbije i Crne Gore'') came into force on 4 February 2003, creating a confederacy between Serbia and Montenegro under one government, the State Union of Serbia and Monteneg ...

, so the country he represented in athletics is cited as (Federal Republic of) Yugoslavia as opposed to Serbia. Some of Milić's personal best results are maintained by Serbia's Athletic Association as Serbian results.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Milic, Dorde Serbian male middle-distance runners Living people 1972 births Athletes from Belgrade Yugoslavian Athletics Championships winners