Zdravko Pečar

In 1974 track and field athlete Zdravko Pečar became the first Yugoslav discus thrower to go over 60 metres. Pečar began his athletics career in Maribor in 1966 and represented the Yugoslavia national team just two years later. In 1971 he became the Balkan champion in the discus, earning himself a place on the Olympic team. At the 1972 München Games he finished 18th with a best throw of 57.84 metres. After the Olympics he became one of the first athletes from Yugoslavia to study in the United States. Pečar studied at Brigham Young University in Utah where he won the discus title at the 1974 NCAA Championships. As an academic he later wrote a dissertation on artificial intelligence whilst at the University of Maribor.

Personal Best: DT – 60.72 (1974).