Antun Stipančić

Antun "Tova" Stipančić (May 18, 1949 — November 20, 1991) was a Croatian and Yugoslav professional table tennis player.

He was named Croatia’s Best Sportsman in 1975 and won the national championship on multiple occasions. He also became a three-time European doubles champion, won the men’s doubles title at the 1979 World Table Tennis Championships with Dragutin Šurbek, and was the men’s singles silver medalist at the 1975 World Championships. He was also known by the nickname “the golden left hand of Croatian sport”.

Early life Antun Stipančić was born in Duga Resa, a town in Karlovac County, Croatia, one of the six constituent republics of Yugoslavia. He was the eldest of three sons born to Ivan and Franca Stipančić. The family lived near the local football ground, which also housed the premises of the Duga Resa table tennis club.

In the late 1950s, local sports enthusiasts established the table tennis club Pamučna industrija, where Stipančić began training as a child.

Professional career

Early career (1961-1969) Stipančić won his first tournament in 1961, at the age of 12, in the Karlovac League cadet competition. A few months later, he won the Ribnjak tournament in Zagreb.

Rise to prominence (1970-1974) In the summer of 1970, Stipančić left Table Tennis Club (TTC) Pamučna industrija and joined TTC Vjesnik.

World Championship success (1975-1980) At the 1975 World Table Tennis Championships in Kolkata, held at the newly built Netaji Indoor Stadium, Stipančić reached the men’s singles final. He defeated defending champion Xi Enting in the quarter-finals and Norio Takashima in the semi-finals before facing István Jónyer in the final. Stipančić won the first two sets, but Jónyer recovered to win the match in five sets, leaving Stipančić with the silver medal. Additionally, he won 16 medals from the European Championships.