Zoran Primorac
{{short description|Croatian table tennis player}}
{{BLP sources|date=November 2021}}
{{Infobox table tennis player
| name = Zoran Primorac
| image = Zoran Primorac WTTC2016 1.jpeg
| imagesize =
| caption = Primorac at the 2016 World Team Table Tennis Championships
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1969|05|10|df=y}}
| birth_place = Zadar, SR Croatia, Yugoslavia
| fullname =
| nicknames =
| nationality = {{CRO}}
| residence =
| playingstyle= Shakehand looper
| equipment = Butterfly (Arylate Carbon) Custom blade; Butterfly Tenergy 05 (Red, FH); Butterfly Tenergy 05 (Black, BH)
| hrank = 2nd place (1998) in ITTF World ranking
| height = 186 cm
| weight = 80 kg
| medaltemplates =
{{MedalSport | Men's table tennis}}
{{MedalCountry | {{YUG}} }}
{{MedalCompetition|Olympic Games}}
{{MedalSilver| 1988 Seoul | Men's doubles}}
{{MedalCompetition|World Championships}}
{{MedalSilver|1987 New Delhi|Men's doubles}}
{{MedalSilver|1991 Chiba|Men's team}}
{{MedalBronze|1987 New Delhi|Men's team}}
{{MedalCompetition|European Championships}}
{{MedalGold|1990 Göteborg|Men's doubles}}
{{MedalSilver|1988 Paris|Men's doubles}}
{{MedalBronze|1986 Praha|Men's doubles}}
{{MedalBronze|1990 Göteborg|Men's team}}
{{MedalCompetition|Mediterranean Games}}
{{MedalGold | 1987 Latakia | Men's doubles}}
{{MedalGold | 1987 Latakia | Men's singles}}
{{MedalGold | 1991 Athens | Men's doubles}}
{{MedalBronze | 1991 Athens | Men's singles}}
{{MedalCountry | {{CRO}} }}
{{MedalCompetition|Table Tennis World Cup}}
{{MedalGold| 1993 Guangzhou | Men's singles}}
{{MedalGold| 1997 Nimes | Men's singles}}
{{MedalBronze| 1994 Taipei | Men's singles}}
{{MedalBronze| 1998 Shantou | Men's singles}}
{{MedalBronze| 1999 Xiaolan | Men's singles}}
{{MedalBronze| 2002 Jinan | Men's singles}}
{{MedalCompetition|World Championships}}
{{MedalSilver|1995 Tianjin|Men's doubles}}
{{MedalBronze|1993 Göteborg|Men's singles}}
{{MedalBronze|1999 Eindhoven|Men's doubles}}
{{MedalCompetition|European Championships}}
{{MedalGold|1994 Birmingham|Mixed doubles}}
{{MedalSilver|1994 Birmingham|Men's doubles}}
{{MedalSilver|1998 Eindhoven|Men's singles}}
{{MedalSilver|2000 Bremen|Men's singles}}
{{MedalSilver|2007 Belgrade|Men's team}}
{{MedalBronze|1992 Stuttgart|Men's singles}}
{{MedalBronze|1992 Stuttgart|Mixed doubles}}
{{MedalBronze|1994 Birmingham|Men's singles}}
{{MedalBronze|2002 Zagreb|Men's singles}}
{{MedalBronze|2005 Århus|Men's singles}}
{{MedalCompetition|Mediterranean Games}}
{{MedalSilver | 1993 Languedoc | Men's singles}}
{{MedalSilver | 1993 Languedoc | Men's doubles}}
{{MedalSilver | 1997 Bari | Men's singles}}
{{MedalBronze | 1997 Bari | Men's doubles}}
}}
Zoran Primorac {{IPAc-en|ˈ|z|oʊ|r|ə|n|_|ˈ|p|r|iː|m|ə|ˌ|r|æ|t|s}} (born 10 May 1969) is a retired Croatian table tennis player. He is a two-time winner of the World Cup and one of only three table tennis players to have competed at seven Olympic Games. His highest ITTF world ranking was number 2, in 1998.
Biography
Primorac was born in Zadar and started playing table tennis at the club STK "Bagat" in his home town. As a junior, he won seven medals at European championships. In 1985 he moved to the Zagreb club "Vjesnik", Caja Granada and UMMC Verkhnaya Pyshma. At the 1987 World Championship in New Delhi he won the silver medal together with Ilija Lupulesku,{{Cite web| url = http://sports123.com/tte/mw-d.html | title = Table Tennis - World Championships - Men: Doubles | work = Sports123.com | date = May 10, 2009 | access-date = January 25, 2010}} and repeated the success by winning the silver at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul.{{Cite web| url = http://sports123.com/tte/results/mo-d-1988.html | title = Table Tennis - Olympic Games 1988 at Seoul (sko) - Men: Doubles | work = Sports123.com | date = November 25, 2005 | access-date = January 25, 2010}} Together with Lupulesku he also won the 1990 European Championship in Gothenburg.
Primorac competed for Croatia at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona where he reached last 16 in singles and doubles. He repeated the same at the 1996 Summer Olympics. At the 2004 Summer Olympics he was eliminated in the third round. At 2008 Summer Olympics Primorac lost in the quarter-final of the men's singles event to Jörgen Persson.
Primorac, Belgian Jean-Michel Saive, and Swede Jörgen Persson are the first table tennis players to have competed at seven Olympics, having competed in all Games since the sport was introduced in 1988.
In 1993 he won a bronze medal in Men's singles at World Table Tennis Championships. He won silver medal in 1995 and bronze in 1999 at World Championships in Men's doubles event.
At the 1998 and 2000 European Championships Primorac won silver medal in men's singles. In 1998 final he lost against Vladimir Samsonov and in 2000 he lost against Peter Karlsson. At the 1992, 1994, 2002 and 2005 European Championship he won the bronze medal in men's singles. At the 2007 European Championship in Belgrade he won the silver medal in the team event with Croatia (with Roko Tošić, Andrej Gaćina and Tan Ruiwu).
At the Mediterranean Games in the men's singles event he won gold medal in 1987, silver in 1993 and 1997 and bronze in 1991. In the men's doubles event he won gold medals in 1987 and 1991, silver in 1993 and bronze in 1997.
He currently uses specially designed equipment made by Butterfly Table Tennis. He uses the Timo Boll spirit blade, while using Tenergy 05 rubber on both sides of his racket.
In the TV comedy The Office, the character Dwight Schrute names Zoran Primorac as one of his heroes, but pronounces his name incorrectly.
In 2018, Primorac was elected Chair of the ITTF Athletes Commission.{{Cite web |url=https://www.ittf.com/committees/athletes-commission/ac-composition/ |title=AC Composition - International Table Tennis Federation |access-date=2019-08-20 |archive-date=2019-03-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190321181843/https://www.ittf.com/committees/athletes-commission/ac-composition/ |url-status=dead }}
Achievements
| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align: center; font-size: 95%;" |
| Year
!Competition !Venue !Placed !Event |
|---|
| 1988
|style="text-align: left;"|{{Flag icon|KOR}} Seoul |style="text-align: left;"|{{silver medal}} |Men's doubles |
| 1993
|style="text-align: left;"|{{Flag icon|CHN}} Guangzhou |style="text-align: left;"|{{Gold medal}} |Men's singles |
| 1997
|style="text-align: left;"|{{Flag icon|FRA}} Nimes |style="text-align: left;"|{{Gold medal}} |Men's singles |
| 1994
|style="text-align: left;"|{{Flag icon|TPE}} Taipei |style="text-align: left;"|{{Bronze medal}} |Men's singles |
| 1998
|style="text-align: left;"|{{Flag icon|CHN}} Shantou |style="text-align: left;"|{{Bronze medal}} |Men's singles |
| 1999
|style="text-align: left;"|{{Flag icon|CHN}} Xiaolan |style="text-align: left;"|{{Bronze medal}} |Men's singles |
| 2002
|style="text-align: left;"|{{Flag icon|CHN}} Jinan |style="text-align: left;"|{{Bronze medal}} |Men's singles |
| 1987
|style="text-align: left;"|{{Flag icon|IND}} New Delhi |style="text-align: left;"|{{Bronze medal}} |Men's team |
| 1987
|style="text-align: left;"|{{Flag icon|IND}} New Delhi |style="text-align: left;"|{{silver medal}} |Men's doubles |
| 1991
|style="text-align: left;"|{{Flag icon|JPN}} Chiba |style="text-align: left;"|{{silver medal}} |Men's team |
| 1993
|style="text-align: left;"|{{Flag icon|SWE}} Gothenburg |style="text-align: left;"|{{Bronze medal}} |Men's singles |
| 1995
|style="text-align: left;"|{{Flag icon|CHN}} Tianjin |style="text-align: left;"|{{silver medal}} |Men's doubles |
| 1999
|style="text-align: left;"|{{Flag icon|NED}} Eindhoven |style="text-align: left;"|{{Bronze medal}} |Men's doubles |
| 1986
|European Championships |style="text-align: left;"|{{Flag icon|Czechoslovakia}} Prague |style="text-align: left;"|{{Bronze medal}} |Men's doubles |
| 1988
|European Championships |style="text-align: left;"|{{Flag icon|FRA}} Paris |style="text-align: left;"|{{silver medal}} |Men's doubles |
| 1990
|European Championships |style="text-align: left;"|{{Flag icon|SWE}} Gothenburg |style="text-align: left;"|{{Bronze medal}} |Men's team |
| 1990
|European Championships |style="text-align: left;"|{{Flag icon|SWE}} Gothenburg |style="text-align: left;"|{{gold medal}} |Men's doubles |
| 1992
|European Championships |style="text-align: left;"|{{Flag icon|GER}} Stuttgart |style="text-align: left;"|{{Bronze medal}} |Men's singles |
| 1992
|European Championships |style="text-align: left;"|{{Flag icon|GER}} Stuttgart |style="text-align: left;"|{{Bronze medal}} |Mixed doubles |
| 1994
|European Championships |style="text-align: left;"|{{Flag icon|GBR}} Birmingham |style="text-align: left;"|{{Bronze medal}} |Men's singles |
| 1994
|European Championships |style="text-align: left;"|{{Flag icon|GBR}} Birmingham |style="text-align: left;"|{{silver medal}} |Men's doubles |
| 1994
|European Championships |style="text-align: left;"|{{Flag icon|GBR}} Birmingham |style="text-align: left;"|{{gold medal}} |Mixed doubles |
| 1998
|European Championships |style="text-align: left;"|{{Flag icon|NED}} Eindhoven |style="text-align: left;"|{{silver medal}} |Men's singles |
| 2000
|European Championships |style="text-align: left;"|{{Flag icon|GER}} Bremen |style="text-align: left;"|{{silver medal}} |Men's singles |
| 2002
|European Championships |style="text-align: left;"|{{Flag icon|CRO}} Zagreb |style="text-align: left;"|{{Bronze medal}} |Men's singles |
| 2005
|European Championships |style="text-align: left;"|{{Flag icon|DEN}} Aarhus |style="text-align: left;"|{{Bronze medal}} |Men's singles |
| 2007
|European Championships |style="text-align: left;"|{{Flag icon|SRB|2004}} Belgrade |style="text-align: left;"|{{silver medal}} |Men's team |
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{SR/Olympics profile|pr/zoran-primorac-1}}
- [http://www.hoo.hr/1254-p-zoran-primorac.aspx Zoran Primorac] {{in lang|hr}}
{{S-start}}
{{s-sports|oly}}
{{succession box
| before = Perica Bukić
| title = Flagbearer for {{CRO}}
| years = Sydney 2000
| after = Dubravko Šimenc
}}
{{S-end}}
{{Navboxes
| title = Zoran Primorac's Titles
| titlestyle = background: #EEEEFF
| list1 = {{Footer World Cup Champions Table Tennis Singles Men}}
{{Footer European Champions Table Tennis Doubles Men}}
{{Footer European Champions Table Tennis Doubles Mixed}}
}}
{{Croatian Athlete of the Year (men)}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Primorac, Zoran}}
Category:Croatian male table tennis players
Category:Olympic table tennis players for Yugoslavia
Category:Olympic table tennis players for Croatia
Category:Table tennis players at the 1988 Summer Olympics
Category:Table tennis players at the 1992 Summer Olympics
Category:Table tennis players at the 1996 Summer Olympics
Category:Table tennis players at the 2000 Summer Olympics
Category:Table tennis players at the 2004 Summer Olympics
Category:Table tennis players at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Category:Table tennis players at the 2012 Summer Olympics
Category:Olympic silver medalists for Yugoslavia
Category:Sportspeople from Zadar
Category:Olympic medalists in table tennis
Category:Medalists at the 1988 Summer Olympics
Category:Mediterranean Games silver medalists for Croatia
Category:Mediterranean Games bronze medalists for Croatia
Category:Competitors at the 1993 Mediterranean Games
Category:Competitors at the 1997 Mediterranean Games
Category:Mediterranean Games medalists in table tennis
Category:European champions for Yugoslavia
Category:European champions for Croatia
Category:Mediterranean Games gold medalists for Yugoslavia
Category:Competitors at the 1991 Mediterranean Games