Branko Zorko (born 1 July 1967) is a Croatian retired middle distance runner who specialized in the 1500 metres. Zorko competed in the 1500 metres in five Olympic Games, from 1988 to 2004, making it through to the semi-finals in 1992 and 1996. He won bronze medals at the 1993 World Indoor Championships in Toronto and the 1994 European Championships in Helsinki. In 1992 he was awarded the Franjo Bučar State Award for Sport. He was born in Hodošan.
Running career Early career On November 20, 1984, Zorko ran his first ever race, which he won on a cross country course at the age of 17. Less than a year into training, he posted a time of 8:30 for 3000 meters and won a competitive high school race called Kros Sportskih novosti. He declined offers to train with AK Crvena Zvezda and instead remained in Križevci, where he did intervals on a track only once a week. The rest of his training took place on forest trails, where Zorko alleged that bystanders would ask him why he was running and tell him to "take a hoe and dig out some corn".
International At his first major international competition, Zorko finished sixth in the men's 3000 metres race at the 1989 IAAF World Indoor Championships. In 1990, he won his first major medal, winning bronze at the European Indoor Championships in Glasgow. After the breakup of Yugoslavia, Zorko began specializing in middle-distance disciplines, and eventually found his talent in the 1500 metres. In 1992, Zorko won the first international medal for the newly independent Croatia, winning a bronze medal at the 1992 European Indoor Athletics Championships. A year later he won the bronze medal for the men's 1500 metres at the 1993 IAAF World Indoor Championships, finishing only 0.39 seconds behind winner Marcus O'Sullivan. Next year, Zorko finished second in the 1500 at the 1994 European Athletics Indoor Championships, and third at the 1994 European Championships in Athletics.
At the 1997 IAAF World Indoor Championships and at the 2002 European Indoor Athletics Championships, he finished in fourth place in the respective 1500 metre races.
Pacemaking By the late 1990s, Zorko was increasingly suffering from injuries, which prompted him to turn to professional pacemaking. As a pacemaker, he assisted in setting several world records, both indoors and outdoors, most notably for Haile Gebrselassie. On July 11, 2005, Zorko announced his retirement at the IAAF Grand Prix Zagreb.
Personal bests .
Outdoors Distance Mark Date Location 1000 m 2:18.97 2000-06-17 Zagreb 1500 m 3:33.30 NR 1998-08-08 Monte Carlo Mile 3:52.64 NR 1998-08-05 Stockholm 2000 m 4:58.02 NR 1996-07-10 Nice 3000 m 7:48.72 NR 1998-06-01 Hengelo 5000 m 13:43.04 1989-06-04 Belgrade
Indoors Distance Mark Date Location 1000 m 2:20.35 NR 1998-02-04 Erfurt 1500 m 3:38.05 NR 1997-02-02 Stuttgart 3000 m 7:49.29 NR 1990-03-07 Piraeus
International competitions Representing 1987UniversiadeZagreb, Yugoslavia7th1500 m3:46.461988European Indoor ChampionshipsBudapest, Hungary7th1500 m3:47.69Olympic Games Seoul, South Korea36th (h)1500 m3:45.521989European Indoor ChampionshipsThe Hague, Netherlands5th3000 m7:54.16World Indoor ChampionshipsBudapest, Hungary6th3000 m7:52.26UniversiadeDuisburg, West Germany14th (h)1500 m3:48.421990European Indoor ChampionshipsGlasgow, United Kingdom3rd3000 m7:54.77European ChampionshipsSplit, Yugoslavia14th (h)1500 m3:40.86Representing 1992European Indoor ChampionshipsGenoa, Italy3rd1500 m3:42.85Olympic Games Barcelona, Spain18th (sf)1500 m3:39.711993World Indoor ChampionshipsToronto, Canada3rd1500 m3:45.39World ChampionshipsStuttgart, Germany21st (sf)1500 m3:43.121994European Indoor ChampionshipsParis, France2nd1500 m3:44.64European ChampionshipsHelsinki, Finland3rd1500 m3:36.881995World ChampionshipsGothenburg, Sweden36th (h)1500 m3:48.831996European Indoor ChampionshipsStockholm, Sweden5th1500 m3:46.82Olympic Games Atlanta, United States9th (sf)1500 m3:35.141997World Indoor ChampionshipsParis, France4th1500 m3:39.25Mediterranean GamesBari, Italy2nd1500 m3:45.17World ChampionshipsAthens, Greece19th (sf)1500 m3:41.631998European Indoor ChampionshipsValencia, Spain6th1500 m3:45.83European ChampionshipsBudapest, Hungary10th1500 m3:43.951999Military World GamesZagreb, Croatia3rd1500 m3:41.062000European Indoor ChampionshipsGhent, Belgium10th (h)1500 m3:42.92Olympic Games Sydney, Australia36th (h)1500 m3:46.162001World Indoor ChampionshipsLisbon, Portugal9th (h)1500 m3:39.552002European Indoor ChampionshipsVienna, Austria4th1500 m3:50.662004Olympic GamesAthens, Greece31st (h)1500 m3:48.28
References
External links
Croatian National Records - Men (archive) Croatian National Records - Indoors (archive) Krizevci.eu: Branko Zorko