How to Repeat Dokmanac's Reign
Serbian wrestling, as one of our most successful sports, has waited for many years, even decades, to raise its head, to get closer to the very top of the most successful national teams in Europe and the world. While we had our man in the world wrestling federation (Fila), Milan Bata Ercegan, the long-time president of that federation, and three of our most prominent referees (Simic, Nishavic, Tabacki), our wrestling fought feverishly year after year for a better status. Then, after the sanctions, came the 'dry' years, until Serbian wrestling experienced a complete boom and, in a way, a renaissance at the beginning of this century... Serbia waited a full thirty-three years for its first world gold, won by Refik Memisevic in Oslo in 1981. Davor Stefanek climbed to the highest podium in Tashkent in 2014. Serbia waited a full four decades for a new Olympic gold, as Davor Stefanek in Rio, exactly a decade ago, managed to repeat the fantastic success of Momir Petkovic from Montreal (1976).
