‘Golden Boy’ Stevan Micic: “Serbia is part of my blood and I couldn’t be happier to give this gold medal to the people”

Nov 11, 2023

6 min

By Andrew Binner

19 September 2023 10:42 GMT-4



The 57kg wrestler, who used to compete for the USA, exclusively tells Olympics.com why winning Serbia’s first-ever men's freestyle world title means so much to him, why the European nation has a presence in Chicago, and how he plans to win an Olympic medal in Paris.

There was a deafening roar in Belgrade’s Stark Arena on Monday 18 September at the 2023 Wrestling World Championships when Stevan Micic won Serbia’s first-ever men’s freestyle world title.


The 57kg grappler grew up in the United States, competing for the University of Michigan (where he was a runner-up at the 2018 NCAAs), and representing the US as a junior, before switching allegiances to his father’s homeland in 2018.


Despite this late switch, Micic has always felt a strong affinity to his Serbian roots, and a deep connection with the crowd cheering him on.


“I feel very attached to my Serbian culture, and it’s such a proud sporting nation,” Micic told Olympics.com after his victory.


“I heard everybody cheering, it must have been so hard for (final opponent) Haguchi (Rei) having to wrestle against them too!


“To be able to help bring the country success on this stage and deliver that first gold medal in freestyle wrestling means a massive amount.


“Serbia is part of my blood and I couldn’t be happier to give this gold medal to the Serbian people.” - Stevan Micic after winning gold at the 2023 Wrestling World Championships.


“Having that as an identity and growing up in that community is different from the normal American style. When I was a little younger I guess I thought it was a little strange, but it’s such an imposing culture, that I accepted that that’s just how things are.”


“We also follow the Orthodox Christian Julian calendar so our Christmas has always been on January 7th. It was great because in the US, I had two different Christmases!


“We also celebrated Saints Day, called ‘Slava’, so we grew up with lots of Church and family events based around Serbian traditions.”

His grandparents also immigrated to the US, and Micic became very close to them after speaking every day.


“My grandparents immigrated with us to the US and Serbian culture is very family-oriented, so I talked with my grandparents, my deda and baba, pretty much every day growing up.”


The Arizona-born athlete’s grandmother sadly passed away two weeks before the World Championships, and he also dedicated his victory to her.


“We were extremely close and honestly, my baba didn’t really like my wrestling too much because she was worried that I was going to get hurt. But she was also my biggest supporter and wanted what was best for me.


“She always called me her ‘Golden boy’, so this victory is for her.



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Stevan Micic To Start Chicago Galaxy International Wrestling Club

By Christian Pyles • 10 Mar, 2023
Today world medalist Stevan Micic and his lifelong coach and father Steve, have announced their intent to create a unique platform for elite freestyle wrestlers and sponsors from all over the world. The "Chicago Galaxy International Wrestling Club" is striving to grow freestyle wrestling. Through the inclusion of wrestlers representing various nations, our athletes will be sharing and exchanging wrestling culture, knowledge, techniques and best practices. STEVAN MICIC 2022 World Championships Bronze 2 x European Championships Bronze "I am excited to officially announce the opening of the new wrestling club that my father and I started. The Chicago Galaxy International Wrestling Club is a nonprofit organization that will provide resources to train and fund elite level wrestlers representing diverse countries in their pursuit of Olympic and World medals. Our vision is to create a world class training environment focusing ONLY on Freestyle! We want to be a magnet for elite athletes no matter what country they are from! Chicago is a hub for international travel and with our partnership with @beatthestreetschicago we have successfully hosted our first training camp. As athletes continue to prepare for the USA World Team Trials, European Championships as well as the World Championships in September, we will continue hosting more camps in collaboration with RTCs across the country in order to create the perfect environment for freestyle success at the highest level." STEVE MICIC GENERAL MANAGER, CHICAGO GALAXY INTERNATIONAL WRESTLING CLUB "We are aiming to create a world class program for international elite athletes, no matter if they want to prepare for the next Olympic Games, for the World Team Trials or for professional MMA athletes seeking to improve their wrestling skills. I invite you to come train with us: Let's grow this amazing sport together." ABOUT CHICAGO GALAXY INTERNATIONAL WRESTLING CLUB Chicago Galaxy International Wrestling Club is a nonprofit 501C-3 tax exempt organization that provides resources to train and fund elite level wrestlers representing diverse countries in their pursuit of Olympic and World medals. Our mission is to become a leading international wrestling club striving to grow Olympic Style Wrestling worldwide. Through the inclusion of wrestlers representing various nations, our athletes will be sharing and exchanging wrestling culture, knowledge, techniques and best practices.
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