Miroslav Cerar

Miroslav Cerar ( born October 28, 1939 in Ljubljana ) is a retired Yugoslav gymnast. Cerar in the 1960s was the outstanding gymnast on the pommel horse, who won on this unit from 1962 to 1970, all worldwide championships.

Career

His international career began in 1958 when Cerar won the pommel horse at the World Championships in Moscow bronze. In the 1960 Olympics he finished in eighth place in the all around and finished ninth with the Yugoslav team. He reached only the apparatus finals on high bar, where he finished fifth.

In 1961, he won the European Championship in Luxembourg four gold medals: in twelve battle, on the parallel bars, pommel horse and rings on as well as bronze in the horse jump. At the World Championship 1962 in Prague, he won gold on the parallel bars and the pommel horse, in each case before Boris Schachlin. At the European Championships 1963 in Belgrade, he won again in twelve fight and to Pommel Horse, Parallel Bars and rings. In addition to silver in the horse jump, he was also bronze for his floor routine. At the Olympic Games in 1964, he finished after unsuccessful floor exercise seventh place in the Twelve struggle and 11th place with the team. He reached three apparatus finals and finished sixth on bars, won bronze on high bar and gold on pommel horse.

At the European Championships 1965 in Antwerp, he won gold on bars, silver on pommel horse and floor and bronze on rings. On pommel horse won Viktor Lissizki, the Cerar one of only two defeats inflicted on his special device, the other followed in 1967 against Mikhail Voronin also at a European Championship. In between Cerar won at the 1966 World Cup in Dortmund gold on pommel horse and bronze on bars.

At the 1968 Olympic Games, he finished in the all around again rank 9, the Yugoslav team was sixth. Cerar only reached the finals on pommel horse, where he won his second Olympic gold medal. Also at the European Championships 1969, he won the pommel horse. 1970 Cerars hometown was host to the World Cup. He won for the third time in Ljubljana the title on pommel horse and was again only Yugoslav medalist. Cerar ended his career in 1971, after he had been injured in a competition in Japan.

Cerar had studied in addition to his career law and became a lawyer. He also held honorary positions in the Yugoslav and later in the Slovenian Association. 1968 Cerar was elected the first Slovenian Sportsman of the Year, 1970, awarded him again with this title. Cerar was awarded the Olympic Order, he was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 1999.