Antun "Tova" Stipančić (
Duga Resa
Duga Resa is a town in Karlovac County, Croatia. It is located about 65 km southwest of Zagreb and 100 km east of Rijeka.
Name
The earliest reference to Duga Resa is from the year 1380. There are several theories on how the then-villag ...
, 18 May 1949 –
Zagreb
Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...
, 20 November 1991) was a highly accomplished
Croatia
Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...
n and Yugoslav professional
table tennis
Table tennis (also known as ping-pong) is a racket sport derived from tennis but distinguished by its playing surface being atop a stationary table, rather than the Tennis court, court on which players stand. Either individually or in teams of ...
player.
Table Tennis career
He was one of the most renowned personalities in the history of the competition, earning him the nickname "the golden left hand of Croatian sport". A table tennis child prodigy who was proclaimed "Best Croatian Sportsman" in 1975, he was National Championship winner numerous times, three times
European Champion in doubles,
World Champion in men's doubles in 1979 (Stipančić–
Šurbek), and
World Championship
A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game ...
silver medalist in singles in 1975.
Early years
Antun Stipančić was born in
Duga Resa
Duga Resa is a town in Karlovac County, Croatia. It is located about 65 km southwest of Zagreb and 100 km east of Rijeka.
Name
The earliest reference to Duga Resa is from the year 1380. There are several theories on how the then-villag ...
, a small industrial town in central Croatia's
Karlovac County
Karlovac County () is a county in central Croatia, with the administrative center in Karlovac. It borders Bosnia and Herzegovina and Slovenia.
The city of Karlovac is a fort from the times of the Military Frontier. It was built as a six-side st ...
(at the time of his birth, and until summer-autumn 1991, Croatia was one of six republics constituting
Yugoslavia
, common_name = Yugoslavia
, life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation
, p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia
, flag_p ...
). His family of five — father Ivan, a janitor at the football club, mother Franca and two younger brothers, Marijan and Ivica — had a difficult time trying to make ends meet. They lived in very modest circumstances in a damp apartment located at the football (soccer) playground which shared its location with the hall of the Table Tennis Club (TTC) "Duga Resa".
At the end of the 1950s, a group of sport enthusiasts led by
Josip Trupković,
Josip Stojković and Dragutin Vrana brought inspiration to the little-noted town and its young people with a new sport - table tennis. The TTC "Pamučna industrija" was born and its priority was to coach the next generation.
As time passed and word began to spread, more and more curiosity seekers began to visit the table tennis halls to see with their own eyes the Duga Resa youngster, called "the wonder kid". "Tova" Stipančić won his first tournament at the age of 12 in 1961, playing in Karlovac League's cadet category and, a few months later, was the best at Zagreb's "Ribnjak".
In 1965,
Ichiro Ogimura, a famous
Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
ese table tennis expert, visited Duga Resa. Stipančić also had a direct contact with the world champion
Zhuang Zedong at the world championships in
Ljubljana
{{Infobox settlement
, name = Ljubljana
, official_name =
, settlement_type = Capital city
, image_skyline = {{multiple image
, border = infobox
, perrow = 1/2/2/1
, total_widt ...
, where he played against him for the first time. As Stipančić stepped forward, he won his first important international match in 1965 at the Open Championships of Poland in
Krakow, defeating the European champion
Kjell Johanson in the second round. In 1966, he was a member of the national team to the European Championships in
Wembley
Wembley () is a large suburbIn British English, "suburb" often refers to the secondary urban centres of a city. Wembley is not a suburb in the American sense, i.e. a single-family residential area outside of the city itself. in the London Borou ...
. Later that year, he won a gold medal playing mixed doubles with Mirjana Resler and a silver medal playing doubles with
Zlatko Čordaš at The Youth European Championships in
Szombathely
}
Szombathely (; ; also see #Etymology, names) is the 10th largest city in Hungary. It is the administrative centre of Vas County in the west of the country, located near the border with Austria. Szombathely lies by the streams ''Perint'' and '' ...
.
He played at the 1968 Championat de Europe at Lyon Sport Hall, where he played well in team events and doubles with Edvard Vecko. They played offensively and firmly, defeating the Swedish experts Johanson and Alser in the final. After succeeding in graduating from Textile High School, he devoted all his attention to his sport career.
High points of career as a professional player
During summer 1970 came the unexpected decision, although not so unexpected among table tennis officials: Tova left his "Pamučna industrija" club and became a member of TTC "Vjesnik". The basic reason for moving from the smaller club to the larger one was the need for an adequately strong sparring partner (and none was more suitable than
Šurbek or Čordaš), as well as the great challenge of taking part in The European Cup. With the new uniform he put on, there was still another major event: not long afterwards Tova Stipančić was married... As 1971 began, he moved to Zagreb, recalling that "...the new surrounding, new habits, days of great changes... was time for thinking".
The year's end was topped off with a glamorous prize: Stipančić celebrating a first class victory at the International Tournament in Zagreb's "Box of Matches" Hall. Journalists lavished him with headlines - "Tova's Scalping Chinese", "Stipančić Over the Chinese Great Wall", "The Ball Caught Fire". Stipančić smashed Chinese
Zhou Lansun and
Li Furong, in the semi-finals he defeated Šurbek and, in the finals, the celebrated
Zhuang Zedong: 16:21, 21:12 and 21:12, experiencing ecstatic ovations from the overjoyed Zagreb spectators.
In 1972 Zagreb played host to a tournament which brought together the top European table tennis players. It was a complete success in organization and results. It was a top show, with "Europe's Top Twelve" in Zagreb's
Trešnjevka Trešnjevka is a neighborhood of Zagreb, Croatia. Forming one of the city's inner neighborhoods, it is located in the city's southwestern area. At approximately 15.67 km2 in area and a population of slightly over 121,000, it is one of the most ...
sport hall.... and Tova was in the leading role! He broke all the barriers and won the trophy which was presented to him by Reno Vinek, the editor of ''Sportske Novosti''.
On the world stage in 1975-80
In 1975
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
built the
Netaji Indoor Stadium, a 12,000-seat domed arena, specifically for the World Championships at the
Eden Gardens
Eden Gardens is an international cricket stadium in Kolkata (Calcutta), India. Established in 1864, it is the oldest and second-largest cricket stadium in India and third-largest in the world. The stadium currently has a capacity of 68,000. ...
,
Kolkata
Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...
. There, Tova is considered to have played the matches of his life... At the quarter-finals - a "match for the gourmet" - Hsi En Ting, the title defender left the arena totally defeated by Tova in a rarely seen match, 3:2. In the next game - and it was the semi-final, Antun played against the excellent Japanese defender Takashima. Antun's superior play brought victory in 5 sets.
Then came the long-awaited finals. In the crowded hall, "the war" between 25-year-old Antun Stipančić and the year-younger Istvan Jonyer. It was an excellent opportunity Tova's expertise, but some had doubts. Since Tova had defeated the robust "
Hungarian Hussar
A hussar, ; ; ; ; . was a member of a class of light cavalry, originally from the Kingdom of Hungary during the 15th and 16th centuries. The title and distinctive dress of these horsemen were subsequently widely adopted by light cavalry ...
" only a few days earlier in the team events, he had a certain psychological advantage, but there was uncertainty whether he would be able to use it. In the first set Jonyer started nervously and "hard", and Stipančić collected points from semi distance, 4:2, 9:5, 13:7, 18:15 and 21:17. There was happiness on Stipančić's bench as the Hungarian seemed nervous and played shackled, while Stipančić was winning his points "by blocking and controlling the situation firmly" winning the second set 21:12. 2:0! But Jonyer succeeded in catching up with Stipančić, 2:2! There was palpable drama in the deciding fifth set! The Zagreb player from Duga Resa inched closer to victory as he led 16:15, 18:17... but Istvan played well, took risks, returned undependable balls, came to 18:20, and then missed one counter ball, 19:20. There was silence in the hall. Again a strong top spin attack, Tova's ball hit the net... Jonyer was the winner, Tova the silver medalist.
In 1979 Tova flew to
Pyongyang
Pyongyang () is the Capital city, capital and largest city of North Korea, where it is sometimes labeled as the "Capital of the Revolution" (). Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. Accordi ...
with his national team to the World Championship in
Pyongyang
Pyongyang () is the Capital city, capital and largest city of North Korea, where it is sometimes labeled as the "Capital of the Revolution" (). Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. Accordi ...
with his national team. "Why not try again?", he explained. "I always fought more with my hand and heart than with my legs" and the medal hunters, the experienced double
Šurbek – Stipančić were off to win the table tennis
Mount Everest
Mount Everest (), known locally as Sagarmatha in Nepal and Qomolangma in Tibet, is Earth's highest mountain above sea level. It lies in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas and marks part of the China–Nepal border at it ...
! At the finals of the men's doubles, Tova and
Šurba were on one side and two very well known competitors, Hungarian aces Klampar and Jonyer, were on the other. European finals held on Asian grounds. Victory for the Yugoslav team came with 3 sets to 0, and they were acclaimed as table tennis immortals for all time. The victors searched for appropriate words, and Tova, raising his voice said, "Men, I finally experienced it, we are the real champions. Nobody could take us a set."
The following year, at the 1980 European Championships in
Bern
Bern (), or Berne (), ; ; ; . is the ''de facto'' Capital city, capital of Switzerland, referred to as the "federal city".; ; ; . According to the Swiss constitution, the Swiss Confederation intentionally has no "capital", but Bern has gov ...
Tova won two medals playing doubles, but sportswriters pointed out that he showed his true sport greatness in the fifth set. At 19:19 he gave up the ball in favor of the
English player
Paul Day, although the referee decided the opposite. For that sport gesture he got "The Fair Play Trophy R. Bergmann".
Antun Stipančić died in
Zagreb
Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...
at the age of 42.
Legacy
Tova Stipančić was viewed as a figure belonging to the global community. Players of table tennis from all corners of the world recall him, whether they faced him on the court or appreciated his outstanding skills from afar. Through his unique personality and exceptional athletic accomplishments, Tova Stipančić made an enduring impact and became a part of the history of sports, the world at large, Croatia, and his hometown of Duga Resa.
He won 27 medals, 11 medals from world championships;
1 gold, 4 silver, 6 bronze; and 16 medals from European championships (4,3,9). Additionally, he won 48 medals at international tournaments in all categories.
*WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP MEDALS - ( 11 )
*TEAM
**1969. (München) – 3rd ( bronze medalist ) Šurbek, Korpa
**1971. (Nagoya) – 3rd ( bronze medalist ) Šurbek, Karakašević
**1975. (Kolkata) – 2nd ( silver medalist ) Šurbek, Karakašević
*SINGLE
**1973. (Sarajevo) - 3rd ( bronze medalist )
**1975. ( Kolkata) - 2nd ( silver medalist )
*MEN DOUBLES
**1973. (Sarajevo) - 3rd ( bronze medalist ) Šurbek;
**1975. (Kolkata) - 2nd ( silver medalist ) Šurbek;
**1977. (Birmingham)- 3rd ( bronze medalist ) Šurbek;
**1979. (Pyongyang) - 1st ( golden medalist ) Šurbek;
**1981. (Novi Sad) - 3rd ( bronze medalist ) Šurbek;
*MIXED DOUBLES
**1971. (Nagoya) - 2nd (silver medalist ) Alexandru;
*EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP MEDALS - ( 16 )
*TEAM
**1966. (London) - 3rd ( bronze medalist ) Šurbek;
**1968. (Lyon) - 3rd ( bronze medalist ) Šurbek;
**1970. (Moscow ) - 2nd ( silver medalist ) Šurbek, Čordaš;
**1972. (Rotterdam)- 2nd ( silver medalist ) Šurbek, Čordaš;
**1974. (Novi Sad) - 2nd ( silver medalist ) Šurbek, Čordaš;
**1976. (Praha) - 1st ( golden medalist ) Šurbek, Jurčič;
*SINGLE
**1972. (Rotterdam)- 3rd ( bronze medalist )
*MEN DOUBLES
**1968. (Lyon) - 1st ( golden medalist ) Vecko;
**1970. (Moscow)- 1st ( golden medalist ) Šurbek;
**1974. (Novi Sad) - 3rd ( bronze medalist ) Šurbek;
**1976. (Praha) - 3rd ( bronze medalist ) Šurbek;
**1978. (Duisburg) 3rd ( bronze medalist ) Šurbek;
**1980. (Bern) - 2nd ( silver medalist ) Šurbek;
*MIXED DOUBLES
**1974. (Novi Sad) - 3rd ( bronze medalist ) Alexandru;
**1976. (Praha) - 1st ( golden medalist ) Palatinuš;
**1980. (Bem) - 3rd ( bronze medalist ) Palatinuš;
*EUROPEAN CUP ( TEAM )
**1972/73. (GSTK "Vjesnik") – 1st
**1973/74. (GSTK "Vjesnik") - 1st
**1975/76. (GSTK "Vjesnik") - 1st
*EUROPE “TOP 12” ( SINGLE )
**1972. (Zagreb) - 1st
**1973. (Böblingen)- 3rd
**1975. (Wiena) - 2nd
See also
*
List of table tennis players
This list of table tennis players is alphabetically ordered by surname. The main source of the information included in this page is the official International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) database. More detailed information about their careers is ...
*
List of World Table Tennis Championships medalists
A list is a set of discrete items of information collected and set forth in some format for utility, entertainment, or other purposes. A list may be memorialized in any number of ways, including existing only in the mind of the list-maker, bu ...
References
Introduction to the November 2006 Antun "Tova" Stipančić 14th Memorial International Table Tennis Tournament
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stipancic, Antun
1949 births
1991 deaths
People from Duga Resa
Sportspeople from Karlovac County
Sport in Karlovac County
Croatian male table tennis players
Yugoslav table tennis players
Burials at Mirogoj Cemetery