Žarko Dolinar

Zarko Dolinar ( born July 3, 1920 in Koprivnica, † March 9, 2003 in Basel) was a Yugoslav tennis players, doctors and Righteous among the Nations. He won eight medals at world championships, in 1954 he became world champion in doubles.

Life

Dolinar received his doctorate in anatomy, histology and embryology in Zagreb and taught as a lecturer and professor at the Medical Faculty of the University of Basel. To date (2006) he is the only table tennis world champion with doctorates. Dolinar played in the penholder style with a self-made bat struck by a giant bat.

During the Second World War, he saved Jews from the Nazi regime, which entitled him to Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial awarded the title righteous among the nations. In 1967 Dolinar was the initiator of the establishment of the Swaythling Club International, whose honor he became CEO later. Dolinar later headed temporarily the Croatian Table Tennis Association. Most recently, he lived in Riehen.

Achievements

• World Cup 1939: Silver with the team of Yugoslavia, bronze in the individual
• World Cup 1951: Bronze with the team of Yugoslavia
• World Cup 1953: Silver in the Mixed with Ermelinde Wertl
• World Cup 1954: gold in doubles with Vilim Harangozo, bronze in mixed doubles with Ermelinde Wertl
• World Cup 1955: Silver in the individual (behind the Japanese Toshiaki Tanaka ), silver in the doubles with Vilim Harangozo - The final of the single took only 14 minutes.

Others

In Stuttgart, the table tennis club Zarko Dolinar TTC Stuttgart has named after him. After his death he was buried in the Mirogoj cemetery in Zagreb.

Results from the ITTF database

Philately

From the post office in Zagreb / ​​Croatia for a special Table Tennis European Championship 2002 on April 7, 2002 uses the text " Zarko Dolinar London 1954".