The Boris Hanzekovic Memorial, Croatia’s oldest sports event, has received the World Athletics Heritage Plaque. This recognition comes as the Zagreb-based athletics competition celebrates its 75th edition in 2025. The official plaque presentation will take place on Saturday, May 24, during the ongoing meeting in the Croatian capital. The plaque will remain on display at the Dinamo-Zrinjevac Athletics Club in Zagreb.
Founded in 1951, the Boris Hanzekovic Memorial has grown into a world-class event. It is now part of the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold and attracts top international athletes each year. The event is named after Boris Hanzekovic, one of Croatia’s top hurdlers before World War II. He died while trying to escape the Jasenovac concentration camp. His legacy lives on through the 110m hurdles memorial race that carries his name.
The World Athletics Heritage Plaque is awarded to events, places, or individuals that have made a lasting impact on the history of athletics. The Boris Hanzekovic Memorial fits this description well. Over the years, many great athletes have competed in Zagreb. In 1973, Cuban runner Alberto Juantorena won his first international race there. Usain Bolt ran the meeting’s fastest 100m time in 2011, clocking 9.85 seconds. Croatian high jumper Blanka Vlasic jumped 2.08 meters in 2009, then the second-best result in women’s high jump history.
The meeting has seen a steady rise in global recognition. It started as a local competition between the Mladost and Dinamo clubs. In 1962, it became an international event with athletes from the Soviet Union, Hungary, Bulgaria, and other European countries. The 1970s brought more visibility thanks to support from the Vjesnik newspaper. In the late 1980s, after Zagreb hosted the Universiade, the meeting gained even more attention. Despite the Croatian War of Independence in the early 1990s, the event continued and became stronger.
In 2000, the Boris Hanzekovic Memorial received Grand Prix status. In 2020, it was included in the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold. This raised its profile even further and confirmed its role in the international athletics calendar. The event continues to feature top performances and attract elite competitors.
One special feature of the meeting is the shot put event known as the Ivan Ivancic Memorial. Since 2014, this competition has been held outside the stadium at the Zagreb Fountains. In 2016, two athletes threw beyond 22.20 meters in the same event for the first time in 28 years. The throwers were Olympic champion Ryan Crouser and Olympic bronze medallist Tom Walsh.
The 110m hurdles memorial race remains a highlight of the meeting. All world and Olympic champions in this event have competed in Zagreb over the past 30 years. The race record stands at 12.98 seconds, set by Mark Crear in 1999. The meeting continues to provide a platform for athletes to perform at the highest level.
The award of the World Athletics Heritage Plaque is a reflection of decades of dedication from athletes, coaches, organizers, and the City of Zagreb. It recognizes not only the past achievements but also the meeting’s future role in world athletics. The event aims to continue growing while preserving the legacy of Boris Hanzekovic and promoting excellence in sport.
As the Zagreb Meeting reaches its 75th edition, the recognition by World Athletics underlines its importance in the global athletics community. It also highlights Croatia’s place on the international sports map. This milestone serves as both a celebration and a motivation to keep building on a proud tradition of athletics in Zagreb.
