Leon Štukelj

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Leon Štukelj [listen] ([Media helphelp]·[info]) (November 12, 1898 - November 8, 1999) was a Slovene gymnast, Olympic gold medalist and athlete.

Štukelj was born in Novo mesto, Austria-Hungary (now Slovenia). He is a noted figure in the annals of Slovenian sporting history. Štukelj is one of the few Slovene athletes to have risen to the very top of his sport, where he remained right from the World Championships in Ljubljana in 1922 all the way to the Olympic Games in Berlin 1936, at which he rounded off his competitive gymnastics career.

Štukelj competed at seven major international competitions and captured a total of twenty medals: eight gold, six silver and six bronze. At the Olympic Games alone he won six medals: two gold medals (counted for Yugoslavia) in Paris in 1924, one gold medal and two bronze in Amsterdam in 1928, and a silver medal in Berlin in 1936 with which he concluded his career.

In 1927 he completed the study of law. After finishing his sports career he worked as a judge, first in his hometown Novo mesto. Later he moved to Lenart and then to Maribor where he lived until his death.

For approximately a decade Štukelj was the oldest still alive Olympic gold medalist.

Štukelj was presented at the open ceremony of the Games of the XXVI Olympiad in Atlanta in 1996 as one of the oldest living sportsmen in the world where he shook hands with the President of the United States Bill Clinton. He also presented the medals to winners in the men's team competition, delighting both the crowd and the athletes.

In 1997 Štukelj was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame. His 100th birthday in 1998 was a major celebration in his home country. Štukelj still exercised regularly before his death, short of his 101st birthday.

Today a sports hall (mainly used by a local basketball team) in Novo mesto is named after Leon Štukelj.

See also

• List of Slovenians

Reference