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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
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| Born | (1872-10-14)14 October 1872 Nádalja,Kingdom of Hungary,Austria-Hungary | ||||||||||||||
| Died | 10 January 1949(1949-01-10) (aged 76) Pula,PR Croatia,FPR Yugoslavia | ||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||
| Country | Hungary | ||||||||||||||
| Sport | Tennis, weightlifting, wrestling | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
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| Updated on 1 October 2013 | |||||||||||||||
Momčilo Tapavica (Serbian Cyrillic:Момчило Тапавица;Hungarian:Tapavicza Momcsilló[ˈtɒpɒvit͡sɒˈmomt͡ʃilloː]; 14 October 1872 – 10 January 1949) was an all-around sportsperson and architect. He competed intennis,weightlifting,wrestling.[1] Tapavica achieved his best result in tennis by winning the singles bronze medal at the1896 Summer Olympics, making him the first ethnicSerb,[2]Slav andHungarian citizen to win an Olympic medal. After his sporting career Tapavica became a well-known architect.[3]
Tapavica, an ethnicSerb, was born inNádalja,Kingdom of Hungary (now Nadalj,Serbia) in 1872. He began to practise sports inÚjvidék (Novi Sad), continuing his training inBudapest, where he studied architecture and civil engineering at the Technical College. His performances excelled and he was selected in the Hungarian team for the firstOlympic Games inAthens in 1896, where he competed in tennis, weightlifting and wrestling.[4]
At the1896 Summer Olympics, Tapavica, being the lone tennis player inHungary's Olympic Team,[5] won thebronze medal in thesingles tennis tournament.
In the first round, he defeatedD. Frangopoulos ofGreece. The second round gave him a bye, subsequentlyDionysios Kasdaglis ofEgypt beat Tapavica in the semifinal, and with no playoff for third place he shared bronze medal honors with GreekKonstantinos Paspatis. Tapavica was the first ethnic Serb to win an Olympic medal, as well as the first – and to date the only – Hungarian to win a medal in tennis at the Olympic Games.[6] He did not compete in the doubles tournament.
In weightlifting, Tapavica overextended himself, which caused him a shoulder injury and eventually finished last of the six competitors in the two-handed weightlifting, now known as theclean and jerk. Two days later, still unhealed, Tapavica was defeated in the first round of the wrestling competition byStephanos Christopoulos. The two were nearly evenly matched, but Tapavica tired first and conceded.[4]
After the Olympic Games, Tapavica never again participated in competitive events, however he continued to do recreational sports, such as athletics, gymnastics and rowing. For many years he was a member of the Újvidék-based rowing clubDanubius.[7]
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After his graduation, Tapavica remained in Budapest for a shorter period before returning to Újvidék. In 1908, for the invitation ofNicholas I of Montenegro, Tapavica went to Montenegro, where he designed several buildings. Among his notable works from this period are the German Embassy and National Bank inCetinje, and the building of Boka Hotel inHerceg Novi,[8] which was destroyed by an earthquake in 1979. The building of an orphanage funded byMarija Trandafil's will was built inNovi Sad based on the plans of Tapavica, was finished in 1912. The building would later become theMatica srpska.[7]
Upon the outbreak ofWorld War I, Tapavica first emigrated toAustria-Hungary, and later throughRome andLausanne he ended up inMorocco. While in Morocco, he joined theFrench Foreign Legion and became friends with Spain's future dictatorFrancisco Franco.[7]
After the war he returned to Novi Sad, where he ran his own architectural design company and actively participated in discussions about the urban planning of the city. FollowingWorld War II, in 1948, he moved toPoreč, where he significantly contributed to the rebuilding of the war-torn city. He died in 1949 inPula.[7]
His life is the subject of a 2016 documentaryTapavica directed byMilan Todorović.[9]
A bust is bestowed in his honor in Novi Sad.[10]
