Miro Sipek

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.

Miroslav Šipek
2012 team portrait of Miro Sipek
Personal information
Full nameMiroslav Šipek
Nickname(s)Miro
NationalityAustralian
Born (1948-04-06) 6 April 1948
Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, former Yugoslavia
Height176 cm (69 in) (1976)
Weight67 kg (148 lb) (1976)
Sport
CountryAustralia
SportShooting
Retired1985
Now coaching1997-2009, Australian National Team; 2001-2019, Australian Paralympic National Team
Achievements and titles
World finalsBronze, 1970 Phoenix Arizona
Regional finals4 Silver medals at European Championships; Multiple medals at other International competitions including 16 Gold at Balkan Championships
National finals27 times Yugoslav Champion (19 senior and 8 as a Junior)
Olympic finals1976 Montreal
Medal record
Men's shooting
Representing  Yugoslavia
World Championships
Bronze medal – third place 1970 Phoenix Arizona (USA)50m rifle prone
European Championships
Silver medal – second place 1968 Wiesbaden (Germany) 50m prone
Silver medal – second place 1968 Wiesbaden (Germany) 50m prone - team
Silver medal – second place 1969 Plzen (Czechoslovakia) 3 position 3x20
Silver medal – second place 1975 Bucharest (Romania) kneeling 50m
Balkan Championships
Gold medal – first place 16 x Gold Rifle
Representing  Australia
Olympics, World Championships, World Cup, Commonwealth Games
Gold medal – first place 13 x Gold Coach
Silver medal – second place 6 x Silver Coach
Bronze medal – third place 11 x Bronze Coach
Paralympics, IPC World Championships, IPC World Cup
Gold medal – first place 26 x Gold Coach
Silver medal – second place 33 x Silver Coach
Bronze medal – third place 24 x Bronze Coach

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.

BiH Shooting team in Bucharest 1973. (Miroslav Sipek - bottom left; Mirsada Cengic (now Sipek) - top right)

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).

Miroslav Sipek - shooting 50m prone 1969

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.

Yugoslav Shooting Team - Montreal 1976

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.

Olympic Team of Bosnia and Herzegovina at their first Olympics in Barcelona 1992 (Miro 4th bottom right).

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.

Athlete YUG (Montreal 1976), Organiser YUG (Sarajevo 1984), Chef De Mission BiH (Barcelona 1992), Coach AUS (Beijing 2008), Coach AUS (Manchester 2002), Coach AUS (Athens 2004), Coach AUS (London 2012), Coach Melbourne (2006)
ex-Yugoslav shooting coaches at Sydney Olympics: Loncar (SRB), Sipek (AUS), Vitez (CRO), Dautovic (BiH), Mikolic (SLO)

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.

Appreciation Plaque from Shooting Australia for achievements as Australian National Coach.
Some of Miro's medals and trophies

References
  1. "Warren Potent firing scores bronze medal".
  2. "Shooting – Sports – Olympics". Sydney: Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 18 July 2012.
  3. ""In the wars" Ashley just short of triumph". Australia: Australian Paralympic Committee. Archived from the original on 21 July 2012. Retrieved 18 July 2012.
  4. "Tender is good; Gold is better". Australia: Australian Paralympic Committee. Archived from the original on 19 July 2012. Retrieved 18 July 2012.
  5. "Libby shooting for gold". Australia: Australian Paralympic Committee. Archived from the original on 19 July 2012. Retrieved 18 July 2012.
  6. "Sri Lanka Sports News | Online edition of Daily News – Lakehouse Newspapers". Dailynews.lk. 12 September 2008. Archived from the original on 18 September 2008. Retrieved 18 July 2012.
  7. "Jason Maroney". Australia: Australian Paralympic Committee. Archived from the original on 18 July 2012. Retrieved 18 July 2012.
  8. "Shooting - Australian Gold Medalist Tim Lowndes & Sam Wieland".
  9. McGrath, Brad (20 May 2008). "Burge surge". The Border Mail. Retrieved 18 July 2012.
  10. "Adams misses out on Paralympics bronze – ABC North West Qld – Australian Broadcasting Corporation". Abc.net.au. 15 September 2008. Retrieved 18 July 2012.
  11. "Adams gives medals a close shot – 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games – ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)". ABC. 12 September 2008. Retrieved 18 July 2012.
  12. "Paralympic shooters on target for London". Australia: Australian Paralympic Committee. Archived from the original on 18 July 2012. Retrieved 18 July 2012.
  13. "AISL – Key Contacts". Ausshooting.org. Archived from the original on 17 July 2012. Retrieved 18 July 2012.
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