Duje Bonačić (10 April 1929 – 24 January 2020) was a Croatian rower who won a gold medal representing

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 ...

in the

coxless four A coxless four, abbreviated as a 4- and also called a straight four, is a racing shell used in the sport of competitive rowing. It is designed for four persons who propel the boat with sweep oars, without a coxswain. The crew consists of four ...

event at the

1952 Summer Olympics The 1952 Summer Olympics (, ), officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad (, ) and commonly known as Helsinki 1952, were an international multi-sport event held from 19 July to 3 August 1952 in Helsinki, Finland. After Japan declared in ...

. Bonačić was born in

Split Split(s) or The Split may refer to: Places * Split, Croatia, the largest coastal city in Croatia * Split Island, Canada, an island in the Hudson Bay * Split Island, Falkland Islands * Split Island, Fiji, better known as Hạfliua Arts, enter ...

to an ethnic

Croat The Croats (; , ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and other neighboring countries in Central Europe, Central and Southeastern Europe who share a common Croatian Cultural heritage, ancest ...

father and ethnic Slovene mother. He had an elder brother Vojko and a sister Nevenka. He graduated in natural sciences 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 ...

, and took up rowing to build muscles, as he weighed only 56 kg with a height of 183 cm at the time. After retiring from competitions he worked as a professor of

geography Geography (from Ancient Greek ; combining 'Earth' and 'write', literally 'Earth writing') is the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. Geography is an all-encompassing discipline that seeks an understanding o ...

meteorology Meteorology is the scientific study of the Earth's atmosphere and short-term atmospheric phenomena (i.e. weather), with a focus on weather forecasting. It has applications in the military, aviation, energy production, transport, agricultur ...

and

oceanography Oceanography (), also known as oceanology, sea science, ocean science, and marine science, is the scientific study of the ocean, including its physics, chemistry, biology, and geology. It is an Earth science, which covers a wide range of to ...

at maritime schools and also served as a coach and referee in rowing and sailing. After the death of

Željko Čajkovski Željko Čajkovski (5 May 1925 – 11 November 2016) was a Croatian and Yugoslav Association football, football player and coach, who played as a Forward (association football), forward. A prolific goalscorer, Čajkovski spent most of his career ...

on 11 November 2016, he became the oldest Croatian Olympic medal winner. Bonačić died on 24 January 2020, at the age of 90 following a short illness.

References

External links

* * * * 1929 births 2020 deaths Croatian male rowers Olympic rowers for Yugoslavia Rowers at the 1952 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medalists for Yugoslavia Rowers from Split, Croatia Olympic medalists in rowing Croatian people of Slovenian descent Medalists at the 1952 Summer Olympics Burials at Lovrinac Cemetery {{Yugoslavia-rowing-bio-stub