{"id":202448,"date":"2026-02-24T16:42:49","date_gmt":"2026-02-24T14:42:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/?p=202448"},"modified":"2026-02-24T16:42:50","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T14:42:50","slug":"forgotten-days-of-glory-a-serbian-princess-was-among-the-first-women-to-win-an-olympic-medal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/forgotten-days-of-glory-a-serbian-princess-was-among-the-first-women-to-win-an-olympic-medal\/","title":{"rendered":"FORGOTTEN DAYS OF GLORY: A Serbian Princess Was Among the First Women to Win an Olympic Medal!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The second modern Olympic Games, held in 1900 in Paris, were remarkable in many ways. A large number of unusual disciplines were included, some of which appeared only once in Olympic history. Golf, for example, made its debut at these Games, only to be removed after the next Olympics, returning to the Olympic roster only in 2016. However, its inclusion in 1900 is historically significant for Serbia, as one of the medal winners was a woman who would later become a Serbian princess.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The story begins with a lesser-known branch of the Kara\u0111or\u0111evi\u0107 dynasty. The revolutionary leader Kara\u0111or\u0111e had two sons: Aleksa and Aleksandar. The younger Aleksandar became a prince, and all subsequent rulers of the Kara\u0111or\u0111evi\u0107 dynasty are his descendants. The elder son, Aleksa, moved to Russia and became a guard lieutenant in the Russian army. He had a single son, \u0110or\u0111e, also raised in Russia and also a guard lieutenant. Captain Mi\u0161a Anastasijevi\u0107 married his daughter Sara to \u0110or\u0111e, hoping to secure a future role for them in the Serbian throne.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That plan failed when the Obrenovi\u0107 dynasty returned to power, and \u0110or\u0111e and Sara moved to Paris. Their marriage produced two sons, Aleksa and Bo\u017eidar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aleksa married an American woman, Darija Prat, who won a bronze medal in golf representing the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Little is known about the life of Serbian princess Darija Prat. Born Abigail Penkhurst, she was known as Ebi. She moved in high society from a young age and had been married twice before marrying Aleksa. Her first husband, Herbert Wright, lived with her in Cleveland for several years. She later married Thomas Huger Prat shortly before the 1900 Olympics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The couple traveled extensively in Europe and socialized with nobility. Both were members of the Dinard Golf Club in France and were invited to participate in the Olympics for the U.S. team. While Prat did not qualify, Ebi finished third in the women\u2019s competition, making her one of the first female Olympic medalists in history (the 1900 Paris Games were the first to feature female athletes).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fate of the Prats\u2019 marriage remains unclear. Thomas was reportedly dead by 1905, though some reports from the period list him as missing. In 1907, newspapers reported that Ebi sought a divorce because she \u201chad not seen or heard from her husband for years.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On June 11, 1913, \u201cbeautiful Ebi,\u201d as the press often called her, married Serbian prince Aleksa Kara\u0111or\u0111evi\u0107, taking the royal name Darija. Aleksa, though a legitimate heir to the Serbian throne, had publicly declared he was uninterested in ruling after the May Coup and the assassination of the Obrenovi\u0107s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The couple married in Paris despite strong opposition from Aleksa\u2019s mother, who did not want an American and twice-divorced bride for her son. Darija\u2019s wealth was rumored to cover Aleksa\u2019s debts and may have included bringing her daughter from a previous marriage into the royal household, though this is unconfirmed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aleksa and Darija spent their honeymoon in southern France. They reportedly had a harmonious marriage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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