Talk:Great Antonio

Discussion
Apparantly he was illiterate (according to one of the links posted.) I guess that that might be an appropriate thing for a "trivia" section, perhaps? RandomGuy

and the legend lives on...

Anyone knows for sure if he was Siberian or Serbian?

It is confusing...

He was born in Yugoslavia, and there are more Baricevic (Serbo-Croatian version of the name) than Barysevich (Siberian version of the name)...

He has once jokingly said to be Italian... which is most likely NOT true

The reason why I don't think he was Croatian, even though he was born in present-day Croatia, is because he has said that his family was Siberian, (and Siberian being close in pronounciation/spelling to Serbian, I thought that what he might have meant is Serbian) and because he was in a concentration camp during WW2

Supporting the Serbian theory:


 * He was born in Yugoslavia
 * His name Baricevic is a Serbo-Croatian name...and is more frequent than the Siberian version of it (Barysevich)
 * He might have meant Serbian when he said Siberian

He was in a concentration camp, most Serbs of Croatia were murdered and put in concentration camps by the Ustase (Croatian nationalists) during that time

Horrible things are suspected to have happened to him back there

Supporting the Siberian theory:

(He might have meant Serbian)
 * He has said to be from a Siberian family
 * There is a Siberian name Barysevich

I think it is more likely that he was of Serbian origin, and when he said siberian he meant serbian...

althought both theories are possible...

Where did u get the info that he was born in Veli Losinj, Croatia?

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There's no Barysevich in Croatia... I've checked the phone book, but yet a lot of Baricevic...

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1)He's Baričević (or even "Barić"), Barišević or Barišić. This surname could appear only among Croats. Its roots is "Barić" or "Bariša" or "Bare". "Barić" again, had roots in "Bare". Bare/Bariša/Bartul/Bartuo is Croat form of Bartholomew. There are no Serbs with such name neither with such surname. 2)Second, his name is "Antonio", "Antun" or "Anton". Serbs do not give such names to their children. Croats do give such names. In fact, name Ante, Antun, Antun, Antonio, Toni, Tonći, Tonči, Tonko (all derivatives of Anthony) is one of the names with the biggest frequency among Croats. 3)Third, there is no Serbo-Croatian names. Such names never existed. 4)Fourth, fact that someone was in concentration camp means nothing. Maybe Great Antonio was in concentration camp Banjica or Sajmište in Serbia, where all Jewish population from Serbia was exterminated? Or, if you're pulling "ustase" theory, do you want to say that he was the watchtower guard? Have you ever knew how many Croats ended in concentration camps and died there (because of political reasons)? Most famous case was world famous sculptor Ivan Meštrović. If you gonna say that you don't know who he is, his sculpture is in front of UN building. Kubura 07:48, 17 July 2006 (UTC)


 * @Kubura I know it's a gong show trying to figure when and where with him. Also, while his writing was basic, he wasn't illiterate. I do not know of his reading abilities, but i have seen several documentaries where letters that he wrote were presented. Also he wrote several letters to newspapers during his life. He spoke a minimum of four language his grasp at French was good, English decent, Italian (enough for an interview), and the language of his home country. He could write in French for sure the letters presented in the documentary are in French
 * I wanted to use an article that covers his 1960 world record and didn't use it because they claimed he was illiterate. I think he was a man with an uneven intelligence with mental health issues. Filmman3000 (talk) 13:59, 2 June 2023 (UTC)

Origins
There are conflicting reports regarding his birthplace and ethnicity. Most sources list his birthplace as Zagreb, Yugoslavia (now Croatia). Others cite Brevna, Siberia.

In his televized interviews, he has often said to have been born in Croatia. And on one occasion, to have been born in Croatia to Siberian immigrant parents.

His surname can be found in both Croatia and Siberia. Pronounced Barichievich, Baričević is a common name in the former Yugoslav republics, particularly in Serbia and Croatia. Barysevich can be found throughout the former Soviet Union, including Siberia.

Illiterate and not mastering the French language it is possible that he meant Serbia, instead of Siberia, regarding his parents country of origin.

Siberians were an almost inexistant population in Croatia during the second world war, while serbs were the most populous minority of Croatia.

Serbs were generally executed and put in concentration camps during the second world war by Croatian Ustasis. The same fate would have been expected for Communist Russians, and dissident Croats.

The Great Antonio is known to have been in concentration camps during WW2.

Antonio's original first name, Anton, is common in Siberia and Croatia, but is not particularly popular amongst Serbs. And because Baričević is a surname that holds Croatian roots, it is possible that he shared both Croatian and Serbian descent.

In his later life, he has also claimed to be of Italian origin, and to have been a descendent of extraterrestrials.

I have added this paragraph, cuz no one has a clue about this guy's roots, and cuz its quite confusing,

It says in the article he pulled a 400+ tonne train. That is ludicrous. Today's strongmen pull trucks that weigh no more than 10-15 tonnes.77.105.26.159 11:43, 3 August 2007 (UTC)

You are wrong, fellow Croat Juraj Barbaric from Slovakia holds the record, now, he's pulled a train that weighs (984.2-ton) for 4-5 meters :-) Cold water 00:07, 7 August 2007 (UTC)

FWIW, pulling a train is easier than pulling a truck because a train has steel wheels on a steel track, so there is virtually no rolling resistance. Also, this is showmanship we're talking about, so the train was probably on a slight downward incline. :-) Blork-mtl (talk) 17:25, 17 March 2010 (UTC)

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