Serbia claim historic gold in the 10m Air Pistol Mixed Team final
Zorana Arunovic and Damir Mikec won Serbia’s first medal of Paris 2024 and the first medal of any kind in shooting when the pair claimed gold in the 10m Air Pistol Mixed Team.
The Serbian pair trailed 8-2 after five shots but fought back to take gold in the final two shots, overcoming Turkiye’s Yusuf Dikec and Şevval İlayda Tarhan (TUR).
“As you could see, there was so much emotion,” Arunovic said. “It was a real roller-coaster. We went down 8-2, but we have known each other for such a long time – for 20 years. We knew we could rely on each other to give our best, and we put our faith in each other.
“We said, ‘Let’s go’ and we managed to break the Turkish team by coming back equal with them. It was a nerve-racking ending but Damir gave us the final shot.
“He believed in us and this moment more than I did – he was the one who pushed us towards this.
“It was really stressful but I hope we put on a good show for people who have come here. Not many people usually come to watch shooting but I hope the audience enjoyed a good display of shooting.”
“This is one step up. This is what I dreamed of,” Mikec added. “Everyone in Serbia said to me, ‘You had silver in Tokyo, then you will win gold in Paris’.
“But you have to filter that. Only you know what needs to be done to get here. I always believed and I had a really good preparation.
“I reached the final in the individual (he finished seventh in the men’s 10m air pistol). I didn’t manage to get a medal there, but I used all my experience today.
“Today the shiniest thing in this arena will be the medals round our necks.”
Photo by © Charles McQuillan/Getty Images
