Dragutin Topić

Dragutin Topić (Serbian Драгутин Топић, born March 12, 1971 in Belgrade ) is a Serbian high jumper who rose with a junior world record and his European title in 1990 for the world-class 1990. The 1.97 m wide and 77 kg Topić began his career as a Yugoslav athlete and remained through all political changes his home through an athlete who was able to achieve top rankings in international championships.

Career

Was topić as students 1987/1988 a year at a high school in Illinois, trained there but mostly basketball. After his return he trained reinforced bounce and finished in 1989 at the European Junior Championships in fourth place, his best performance was in 1989 at the end of 2.23 m.

In 1990 he became Junior World Champion in Plovdiv with 2.37 m, this junior world record remains even in 2012. Three weeks later won Topić also at the European Athletics Championships in Split. With 2.34 m, it was on par with Alexei Jemelin from the Soviet Union and the Bulgarian Georgi Dakow, but won by the lower number of failed attempts. At the World Athletics Championships 1991 in Tokyo, he finished with 2.28 m in ninth place.

In the Indoor Athletics Championships in 1992 in Genoa Topić won with 2.29 m bronze together with the German Ralf Sonn. In May 1992, the UN imposed sanctions against Yugoslavia. After that should be made at international sporting events no invitations to representatives of Yugoslavia. For the Olympic Games in Barcelona, it was agreed that Yugoslavia should not participate as a team, but that athletes as Independent Olympic Participants (Independent Olympic Participants, IOP) may participate. In athletics reached two representatives with the abbreviation IOP Endkampfplatzierungen: Topić was 2.28 meters aft, and Dragan Peric was seventh in the shot put.

1993 improved Topić the Yugoslav record to 2.38 m, but could not at the World Championships in Stuttgart qualify for the final. In the same year he was banned because of the intake of stimulants for three months. At the European Championships in Helsinki in 1994, he was 2.31 ​​m fifth. In 1995 he won at the Universiade in Fukuoka and was eighth at the World Championships in Gothenburg with 2.25 m.

1996 won the European Indoor Championships in Topić in Stockholm at 2.35 m. At the Olympic Games in Atlanta, he was 2.32 m in fourth. Error free up to this amount he was next to Charles Austin and Artur Partyka also outperformed by the British Steve Smith, who had been lying because of a faulty test at 2.25 m until then behind Topić. In 1997 he won at the World Indoor Championships in Paris with 2.32 m bronze behind Olympic gold medalist Charles Austin and the Greeks Lambros Papakostas. At the European Championships in Budapest in 1998, he jumped 2.24m and finished ninth.

The following year, he jumped at the 1999 World Championships in Seville 2.32 m and missed fourth bronze only because of the higher number of failed attempts against Martin Buss. At the European Indoor Championships in 2000 in Ghent jumped three jumpers over 2.34 m. Because of the failed attempt Vyacheslav Voronin won control before Repentance and Topić. At the Olympic Games in Sydney, he could not present himself as 21 qualifying for the final. On 2 February 2001 Topić tested positive at a meeting in Wuppertal on norandrosterone and banned for two years. He used this time to earn money as a basketball player.

At the World Indoor Championships in Birmingham in 2003, he returned to international athletics. With 2.30 meters, he missed fourth only because of the number of his failed attempts a medal against the White Russians Henads Maros. At the Olympic Games in Athens in 2004 he was again in the final and was 2.29 m tenth. After a fifth place with 2.30 m at the European Indoor Championships 2005 in Madrid, he finished at the World Championships in Helsinki with 2.25 m in ninth place.

After that Topić was outdoors for no finals qualify more, he participated in the 2007 World Championships, the 2008 Olympic Games, the 2009 World Championships, the European Championships in 2012 and the Olympic Games in 2012. At the World Indoor Championships in 2008, but the European Indoor Championships in 2009 he made ​​the jump in the final battle and was sixth or eighth.