Cheerful stickers on pistols and participants’ manicures somewhat ease the tension from the abundance of weapons. But for the competitors, it’s no easy task, even though no extraordinary physical abilities are required. Concentration and focus drain a lot of energy. You can see it in the athletes’ faces as they occasionally glance away from the target and close their eyes to relieve the invisible weight of responsibility.

I was lucky to have Dragan Donević as my guide into the world of shooting sports. He holds the title of Honored Coach and is the coach of the Serbian national team. For over a quarter of a century, he has been training athletes. Under his guidance was Andrea Arsović, who now leads Partizan’s shooting club and is considered the best shooter of the team. She is a multiple international medalist and was the first to bring gold to Serbia at the European Games in Baku. In the last 10 years, she has won six gold medals at European championships.

Dragan, with a sparkle in his eye and lively interest, shares the nuances of the sport and notes that the prices for equipment and gear are quite high. For example, the cost of a gun alone is now around 2-3 thousand euros.

The experienced coach shares an interesting detail: to succeed in this career, a person doesn’t need exceptional physical abilities. The key is a strong psyche and the athlete’s ability to maintain inner calm. His young student, Nadja Martinović, possesses these qualities.

Nadja Martinović from Partizan Outshines Adult Shooters

When Nadja was making her final pistol shots, fans, led by the coach, gathered behind her, eagerly watching the monitor displaying the statistics. It’s hard to grasp them at first glance. Dragan Donević points to the numbers and happily states that it’s a very high score and that no one is likely to surpass it today. Indeed, Nadja took the first place on the podium twice. First with her peers in the junior category, and then during the senior (adult women’s) award ceremony.

Nadja Martinović has been involved in shooting sports for 9 years and has experience competing internationally. This latest victory has secured her a spot in the final of the Youth European League, which will take place from October 11th to 13th in Novi Sad. Nadja modestly talks about herself and finds it difficult to pinpoint why she chose this sport. The state of inner peace and focus captivated her, and she fell in love with it.

A Partizan rifle shooter didn’t manage to take a podium place but confidently ranked among the top ten. There’s a catch here, though. Among all the shooters, David Savić stood out for his age. He was the youngest participant, and his prospects in this sport look promising. This year, he won the Belgrade League.

All competition results can still be viewed at the link.

Competition results:

Air Rifle, Men:

1. 1. Aleksa Rakonjac (Pančevo 1813) 628.1

1. 1. Marko Ivanović (“Čika Mata”) 626.7

1. 1. Stevan Jovanović (“Čika Mata”) 626.5
      Juniors only:

1. 1. Rakonjac 628.1

1. 1. Stefan Agović (“Dragan Evtić Škepo”) 617.0

1. 1. David Aćimović (“Dragan Evtić Škepo”) 613.3

Air Rifle, Women:

1. 1. Ljiljana Cvetković (Niš 1881) 629.4

1. 1. Aleksandra Gavran (Novi Sad 1790) 629.2

1. 1. Emilija Ponjavić (“Čika Mata”) 628.9
      Juniors only:

1. 1. Cvetković 629.4

1. 1. Gavran 629.2

1. 1. Lana Žonić (Mladost) 625.9

Air Pistol, Men:

1. 1. Ervin Šalgo (Kikinda) 566 (14 centers)

1. 1. Uroš Gajić (Niš 1881) 566 (12)

1. 1. Marko Ninković (Pančevo 1813) 565
      Juniors only:

1. 1. Gajić 566

1. 1. Ninković 565

1. 1. Nikola Manojlović (Smederevo) 559

Air Pistol, Women:

1. 1. Nadja Martinović (Partizan) 574

1. 1. Branka Zarić (Olimpik 011) 571

1. 1. Jovana Todorović (Novi Beograd-Ušće) 567
      Juniors only:

1. 1. Martinović 574

1. 1. Tea Mikec (Policajac) 555

1. 1. Marta Novović (Centar Zemun) 550

Foto: Maxim Konankov