His post-World War II escape from the former Yugoslavia was the stuff of a Hollywood blockbuster, but once in Australia, Rad Leovic led a quiet life punctuated by a passionate love of exercise that saw him still pole vaulting in his eighties and running in his nineties.
After a very full life and a commitment to getting up every day and putting one foot in front of the other, Mr Leovic died in Canberra on February 8, at the age of 95.
A celebration of his incredible life will be held at the Serbian Orthodox Church Hall in Forrest next Saturday, March 4 at 10am.
Mr Leovic came to Australia from the former Yugoslavia in 1951 after he absconded during a bike race and escaped over the border to Austria, walking to Vienna. After several years in Austria, he came to Australia on the Arthur Calwell immigration scheme in May, 1951.
''I was lucky to escape the Iron Curtain; I was lucky to come to the best country in the world,'' he said in 2013 as he was training for The Canberra Times fun run at the age of 85.
His good mate and running friend Bob Harlow said Mr Leovic would be missed by athletes around the country.
"He was a wonderful, generous, self-effacing fellow. A great friend and really good company," Mr Harlow said.
"Everyone knew him and liked him. We'd go to a triathlon event and everyone would come up and congratulate him.
"He didn't know them, but everyone knew him. I went to several world triathlon and dualthon championships and he was a very popular fellow."
Mr Leovic late last year received the 2022 Legend of the Sport Award from Triathlon Australia after starting in the sport in the 75-79 age group.
Originally a cyclist, he ran his first Canberra Half Marathon as a 70-year-old.
The Canberra Runners Group said Mr Leovic went on to participate in more than 170 events, including 10 half-marathons, the last at the age of 83 "in the very respectable time of two hours, 24 minutes". He was still running at the age of 90.
A measure of the man was what he used to do after the events.
"At all sporting events here in Canberra, he would go around and pick up bits of paper or rubbish that might be left. He always wanted to leave it clean," Mr Harlow said.
Mr Harlow said he met Mr Leovic when they were both working at the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
He remembered Mr Leovic telling him he'd had the option of migrating to Australia or Canada.
"He decided that he was too small and scrawny to the a lumberjack in Canada, so he came to Australia," he said.
"He was in migrant camps when he arrived here. He was very smart and was able to get an Australian government scholarship to study at the ANU. He did extremely well and he loved the Bureau of Statistics because he'd given him this good job. He was very loyal and worked for them until his 65th birthday."
Mr Harlow said Mr Leovic had just loved sport his whole life. "Every single day he'd do some sort of exercise," he said.
Mr Leovic is survived by his wife Helene, son Peter and daughter-in-law Helen and grandchildren Jordan and Anjelica.
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