Miro Sipek Explained

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Miroslav Šipek
Fullname:Miroslav Šipek
Nickname:Miro
Nationality:Australian
Residence:Australia
Birth Date:1948 4, df=yes
Birth Place:Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, former Yugoslavia
Height: (1976)
Weight: (1976)
Country:Australia
Sport:Shooting
Retired:1985
Coaching:1997-2009, Australian National Team; 2001-2019, Australian Paralympic National Team
Worlds:Bronze, 1970 Phoenix Arizona
Regionals:4 Silver medals at European Championships; Multiple medals at other International competitions including 16 Gold at Balkan Championships
Nationals:27 times Yugoslav Champion (19 senior and 8 as a Junior)
Olympics:1976 Montreal

Miroslav "Miro" Šipek (born 6 April 1948) is an Australian rifle shooting coach. During his long and successful shooting career he was a champion of Yugoslavia 27 times in a range of disciplines (19 times as a senior and 8 as a junior National Team member). He won several medals at various international competitions and Balkans Championships, 4 silver medals at European Championships and a bronze at the 1970 World Championships in Phoenix Arizona.

Miro represented Yugoslavia at the 1976 Summer Olympics in rifle shooting. In 1992, he led the first Bosnia-Herzegovina National Team from his war torn country to the 1992 Summer Olympics. Miro was the coach for Australia's shooters at 2000 Summer Olympics, 2004 Summer Olympics and 2008 Summer Olympics. He was the coach for Australia's Paralympic shooters at the Athens 2004, Beijing 2008, London 2012 and Rio 2016.

Personal

Born on 6 April 1948 in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina (former Yugoslavia) where he attended Primary School, High School and University for Physical Education.

In 1973 he married Mirsada Čengić, club teammate and member of the Bosnian-Herzegovinian shooting team. Together they've had two children (Goran and Mirela) and four grandchildren (Denis, Dino, Aron and Liam).

He started playing sport at a young age and was a talented footballer and table tennis player. His shooting career started in 1965 when he joined ‘Mico Sokolovic’ Shooting Club in his home town of Sarajevo. Very next year, he became member of the most successful Yugoslav club 'Mile Vujocic Uco - Sarajevo'. He represented Yugoslavia as part of the Junior National Team 15 times, his first appearance being in Bucharest in 1965.

During his long and successful shooting career he was a champion of Yugoslavia 27 times in a range disciplines (19 times as a senior and 8 as a junior National Team member). He won number of medals at various international competitions and Balkans Championships, 4 silver medals at European Championships and a bronze at the World Championships in Phoenix Arizona. He represented Yugoslavia at the 1976 Summer Olympics.

In 1969, he was honoured as the Athlete of the Year of Bosnia and Herzegovina. He was a recipient of various regional and national honours and awards in ex-Yugoslavia, including the 'Silver Rays' ("Orden Zasluga Za Narod sa Srebrnim Zracima") which is the highest civilian decoration awarded by the late Yugoslav president Josip Broz Tito.

In 1985, after more than 250 appearances for Yugoslav Team in competitions and championships all over the world, he retired from competing and continued his shooting career as a Coach and National Selector. In 1986, Miro led Yugoslav Shooting Team to World Championships Title (prone women) in Suhl, Germany.He worked as a High Performance Manager at the Bosnian-Herzegovinian Institute of Sport. In 1992 he led the first Bosnian-Herzegovinian National Team from his war torn country to the 1992 Summer Olympics.

His career continues in Australia where he moved with his family in 1995. He worked with the National Olympic Shooting Team of Australia from 1997 and took the team to the Olympics in 2000 Summer Olympics, 2004 Summer Olympics and 2008 Summer Olympics, as well as the Commonwealth Games in Manchester 2002 and Melbourne 2006. In 2009 he started working with the Australian Paralympic Shooting Team, whom he has been coaching until his retirement in January 2019.

Shooting

Sporting achievements

Coaching

Miro Sipek is a rifle shooting coach. He led Yugoslav Shooting Team to World Championships Title (prone women) in 1986, Suhl (Germany).

From 1997 Miro has been coaching Australian Shooting Team(s). Shooters he has coached include Warren Potent,[1] [2] Ashley Adams,[3] [4] Libby Kosmala,[5] [6] Jason Maroney,[7] Tim Lowndes, Sue McCready, Belinda Imgrund (Muhlberg), Carrie Quigley, Sam[8] and Rob Wieland, Nat Smith, Luke Cain, Anton Zappelli, Bradley Mark... He started coaching Ben Burge in 2003.[9]

Miro was the coach for Australia's shooters at the Summer Olympic Games in:

He coached Australia's Paralympic shooters at the Paralympics in:

Miro was also shooting coach for Commonwealth Games in:

Retirement

After a 54-year career in shooting, first as an athlete and then as a coach, Miro finally retired for the sport in January 2019.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Warren Potent firing scores bronze medal.
  2. Web site: Shooting – Sports – Olympics . Sydney Morning Herald . Sydney . 18 July 2012.
  3. Web site: "In the wars" Ashley just short of triumph . Australia . Australian Paralympic Committee . 18 July 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120721025550/http://www.paralympic.org.au/news/wars-ashley-just-short-triumph . 21 July 2012 .
  4. Web site: Tender is good; Gold is better . Australia . Australian Paralympic Committee . 18 July 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120719051914/http://www.paralympic.org.au/news/tender-good-gold-better . 19 July 2012 .
  5. Web site: Libby shooting for gold . Australia . Australian Paralympic Committee . 18 July 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120719051511/http://www.paralympic.org.au/news/libby-shooting-gold . 19 July 2012 .
  6. Web site: Sri Lanka Sports News | Online edition of Daily News – Lakehouse Newspapers . Dailynews.lk . 12 September 2008 . 18 July 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20080918065757/http://www.dailynews.lk/2008/09/12/spo04.asp . 18 September 2008.
  7. Web site: Jason Maroney . Australia . Australian Paralympic Committee . 18 July 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120718214424/http://www.paralympic.org.au/team/jason-maroney . 18 July 2012.
  8. Web site: Shooting - Australian Gold Medalist Tim Lowndes & Sam Wieland.
  9. Web site: McGrath . Brad . Burge surge . The Border Mail . 20 May 2008 . 18 July 2012.
  10. Web site: Adams misses out on Paralympics bronze – ABC North West Qld – Australian Broadcasting Corporation . Abc.net.au . 15 September 2008 . 18 July 2012.
  11. Web site: Adams gives medals a close shot – 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games – ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) . ABC . 12 September 2008 . 18 July 2012.
  12. Web site: Paralympic shooters on target for London . Australia . Australian Paralympic Committee . 18 July 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120718190120/http://www.paralympic.org.au/news/paralympic-shooters-target-london . 18 July 2012 .
  13. Web site: AISL – Key Contacts . Ausshooting.org . 18 July 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120717214324/http://www.ausshooting.org/contact-us/key-contacts.html . 17 July 2012 . dmy-all .