Miodrag "Gidra" Stojanović (

Serbian Cyrillic The Serbian Cyrillic alphabet (, ), also known as the Serbian script, (, ), is a standardized variation of the Cyrillic script used to write the Serbian language. It originated in medieval Serbia and was significantly reformed in the 19th cen ...

: Миодраг Гидра Стојановић; 24 October 1950 – 18 February 2001) was a

Montenegrin Serb Serbs of Montenegro () or Montenegrin Serbs (), compose native and the second largest ethnic group in Montenegro (32.93% of country's population), after the ethnic Montenegrins. Additional 0.47% of the population is made up of people defining t ...

boxer, kickboxer and

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting combat sport, sport based on strike (attack), striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-s ...

(MMA) fighter. He achieved a

Guinness World Record ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, listi ...

with the highest number of abdominal push-ups, doing fifty in ten seconds.

Biography

Stojanović began his career as the "Strongest Yugoslav" as he was then known when he arrived in

Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...

for his post-secondary education. He graduated from the

University of Belgrade The University of Belgrade () is a public university, public research university in Belgrade, Serbia. It is the oldest and largest modern university in Serbia. Founded in 1808 as the Belgrade Higher School in revolutionary Serbia, by 1838 it me ...

Faculty of Economics. In 1993, he moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

where he began a short film career. In the United States, he trained with

Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, businessman, former politician, and former professional bodybuilder, known for his roles in high-profile action films. Governorship of Arnold Schwarzenegger, ...

and

Magic Johnson Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr. (born August 14, 1959) is an American businessman and former professional basketball player. Often regarded as the greatest point guard of all time, Johnson List of NBA players who have spent their entire career w ...

. He wrote the screenplay and played the main role in the 1994 film which was dubbed the first Serbian

action film The action film is a film genre that predominantly features chase sequences, fights, shootouts, explosions, and stunt work. The specifics of what constitutes an action film has been in scholarly debate since the 1980s. While some scholars such as D ...

. Upon returning to

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 ...

, he dedicated himself to introducing a new type of martial arts known as

to the Yugoslav public. At this time, newspapers began printing rumours that Stojanović had ties with the Belgrade underground.

Death and legacy

Stojanović was assassinated on 18 February 2001 in broad daylight as he was entering his

Audi A4 The Audi A4 is a line of luxury compact executive cars produced from 1994 to 2025 by the German car manufacturer Audi, a subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group. The A4 has been built in five generations and is based on the Volkswagen Group B platfor ...

at the tennis courts of the

Partizan Stadium The Partizan Stadium ( Serbian: Стадион Партизан / ''Stadion Partizan'') is a football and track-and-field stadium in Autokomanda, Belgrade, Serbia. The home ground of FK Partizan, it was formerly known as JNA Stadium (Stadion J ...

. Stojanović was shot with a bullet to the neck while the other bullets hit his chest. The perpetrator was never found. Stojanović was survived by his three children: two sons and a daughter. A memorial tournament named after Stojanović takes place annually.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Stojanovic, Miodrag 1950 births 2001 deaths Assassinations in Serbia Deaths by firearm in Serbia People from Bar, Montenegro People murdered in Serbia Serbian male kickboxers Serbs of Montenegro University of Belgrade Faculty of Economics alumni Unsolved murders in Serbia

Biography

Death and legacy

See also

References

External links