Vera Nikolić (Serbian Cyrillic: Вера Николић; 23 September 1948 – 28 June 2021) was a Serbian middle-distance runner, who competed at the 1968 and 1972 Olympics, and later coach. She had her best achievements in the 800 m event, in which she won European titles in 1966 and 1971 and set a world record, 2:00.5, on 20 July 1968 holding it until 11 July 1971. She came to the 1968 Olympics as a favorite, but due to the pressure of being the favorite^[2] she gave up her semifinal – after leading it for 300 m she suddenly stepped off the track, walked back to the start, sat down and took off her shoes.^[3] She set her personal best for the 800 m in the heats at 1972 Olympics before finishing fifth in the final.^[4]

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Quick Facts Personal information, Native name ...

Vera Nikolić

Nikolić in 1972
Personal information
Native name	Вера Николић
Born	23 September 1948 (1948-09-23) Grabovica, PR Serbia, FPR Yugoslavia
Died	28 June 2021 (2021-06-29) (aged 72)[1] Belgrade, Serbia
Height	1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)
Weight	57 kg (126 lb)
Sport
Sport	Athletics
Event(s)	800 m, 1500 m
Club	Morava Ćuprija Dinamo Zagreb
Coached by	Leo Lang
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	800 m – 1:59.62 (1972) 1500 m – 4:12.7 (1972)
Medal record Representing  Yugoslavia European Championships 1966 Budapest 800 m 1971 Helsinki 800 m 1969 Athens 800 m Mediterranean Games 1971 Izmir 800 m 1971 Izmir 1500 m

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Nikolić received a Golden Badge of Sport, award for the best athlete of Yugoslavia in 1966.