Zoran Primorac

Zoran Primorac /ˈzoʊrən ˈpriːməˌræts/ (born 10 May 1969) is a retired male table tennis player from Croatia. 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.

Zoran Primorac
Personal information
Nationality Croatia
Born (1969-05-10) 10 May 1969
Zadar, SFR Yugoslavia
Playing styleShakehand looper
Equipment(s)Butterfly (Arylate Carbon) Custom blade; Butterfly Tenergy 05 (Red, FH); Butterfly Tenergy 05 (Black, BH)
Highest ranking2nd place (1998) in ITTF World ranking
Height186 cm (6 ft 1 in)
Weight80 kg (176 lb)

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,[1] and repeated the success by winning the silver at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul.[2] 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.[1]

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.[3]

Achievements
Year Competition Venue Placed Event
1988 Olympic Games Seoul  Silver Men's doubles
1993 World Cup Guangzhou  Gold Men's singles
1997 World Cup Nimes  Gold Men's singles
1994 World Cup Taipei  Bronze Men's singles
1998 World Cup Shantou  Bronze Men's singles
1999 World Cup Xiaolan  Bronze Men's singles
2002 World Cup Jinan  Bronze Men's singles
1987 World Championships New Delhi  Bronze Men's team
1987 World Championships New Delhi  Silver Men's doubles
1991 World Championships Chiba  Silver Men's team
1993 World Championships Gothenburg  Bronze Men's singles
1995 World Championships Tianjin  Silver Men's doubles
1999 World Championships Eindhoven  Bronze Men's doubles
1986 European Championships Prague  Bronze Men's doubles
1988 European Championships Paris  Silver Men's doubles
1990 European Championships Gothenburg  Bronze Men's team
1990 European Championships Gothenburg  Gold Men's doubles
1992 European Championships Stuttgart  Bronze Men's singles
1992 European Championships Stuttgart  Bronze Mixed doubles
1994 European Championships Birmingham  Bronze Men's singles
1994 European Championships Birmingham  Silver Men's doubles
1994 European Championships Birmingham  Gold Mixed doubles
1998 European Championships Eindhoven  Silver Men's singles
2000 European Championships Bremen  Silver Men's singles
2002 European Championships Zagreb  Bronze Men's singles
2005 European Championships Aarhus  Bronze Men's singles
2007 European Championships Belgrade  Silver Men's team

See also

References
  1. "Table Tennis - World Championships - Men: Doubles". Sports123.com. May 10, 2009. Retrieved January 25, 2010.
  2. "Table Tennis - Olympic Games 1988 at Seoul (sko) - Men: Doubles". Sports123.com. November 25, 2005. Retrieved January 25, 2010.
  3. https://www.ittf.com/committees/athletes-commission/ac-composition/
Olympic Games
Preceded by
Perica Bukić		 Flagbearer for  Croatia
Sydney 2000		 Succeeded by
Dubravko Šimenc
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