Marko Račič

Marko Račič took up track in high school and went on to hone his athletic skills at a specialized institute in Belgrade. His star in the sporting world grew brighter as he won local competitions and set records in sprint distances, and eventually he was selected to represent Yugoslavia at the 1948 Summer Olympics, where he was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the 400 metres event and round one of the 4x400 metres relay (alongside Jerko Bulić, Aleksandar Ćosić, and Zvonko Sabolović). He was more successful at the 1951 Mediterranean Games, however, taking silver and bronze in the 4x400 and 4x100 metres relays respectively. He also competed at the 1946 and 1950 European Championships and the Balkan Games. During his competitive career, he worked as a physical education teacher.

Following his retirement from active competition in 1953, Račič worked as an athletics trainer and coach, both nationally and in Sweden and Kuwait. He was also certified as a judge and, from the administrative side, helped organize the 1979 Mediterranean Games, the 1984 Winter Olympics, and the 1987 Summer Universiade. He received the Gold Badge of the European Athletic Association in 1997, the only Slovenian to be so honored.

Personal Best: 400 – 49.0 (1949).