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'Complete sportsman' Samaranch bids farewell to deceased Olympian
Posted: Friday November 12, 1999 03:13 PM
MARIBOR, Slovenia (AP) -- The head of the International Olympic Committee, Juan Antonio Samaranch, posthumously awarded the oldest Olympic champion one last medal at a commemoration ceremony Friday. Leon Stukelj, who won six Olympic medals in 1924-36, died earlier this week, just four days before his 101st birthday. He was buried at the Maribor new cemetery Friday. Upon his wish, only Stukelj's family attended the funeral. But residents, state and sports officials bade farewell to the man who ceaselessly promoted athletics and his country at an earlier commemoration ceremony. Characterizing Stukelj as a "complete sportsman and an exquisite personality," Samaranch, who also attended the commemoration, awarded Stukelj posthumously with the IOC medal named after Pierre De Couberten, the founder of modern Olympics. Stukelj was not an IOC member. A year ago to the day, Samaranch was also in Slovenia, to celebrate Stukelj's 100th birthday. Samaranch gave him an Olympic trophy then and invited the oldest Olympian to attend the 2000 games in Sydney as an honorary guest. Although he was still unbelievably vital for his age -- he regularly impressed visitors with his huge love of live and by jumping up to do some exercise -- Stukelj responded: "2000 is far away. We'll see." Late last Sunday, Stukelj called an ambulance from his home, complaining of heart pains. He died in hospital early Monday. Stukelj won Olympic golds in the horizontal bar and all-around competition at Paris in 1924. He won another gold in the rings at Amsterdam in 1928. He also won two bronze medals at Amsterdam, in the all-around and team exercises, and a silver in the rings at Berlin in 1936. His prowess was so outstanding that one of his trademark moves is still known as the Stukelj maneuver. Stukelj quit gymnastics at 38, then went on to work as a judge in Maribor and also wrote books on his sport. He remained involved in Slovenia's sports scene through the end of his life, and kept up his health by working out on rings in his apartment and by taking hour-long walks in a nearby park. Stukelj was born on Nov. 12, 1898 in Novo Mesto, near the eastern border with Croatia. He is survived by his wife and daughter, both named Lidij.
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