International Events | 8 Sep 2024

MUŽINIĆ VINCETIĆ: I Was Afraid to Dream of Gold

The best Croatian para table tennis player, Andjela Mužinić Vincetić, won the gold medal in the WS3 category at the Paralympic Games in Paris after a dramatic final in five sets, defeating Korean player Jiyu Yoon 3-2 (11:7, 11:8, 10:12, 10:12, 13:11). MUŽINIĆ VINCETI, trained volleyball until she was 13. However, after a car accident in 2006, she ended up in a wheelchair.

This is the greatest achievement in the career of the 31-year-old from Split, who has previously won two Paralympic medals in the team event with Helena DRETAR KARIĆ – a silver in Rio de Janeiro (2016) and a bronze in Tokyo (2020).

"I was afraid to dream of gold; I knew I had the quality because I am ranked second. Now it's all over, I am calm and peaceful, and now I just ask myself, do I even realize what I’ve won?" said MUŽINIĆ VINCETIĆ after the match.

"It was a tough match. This year, I played her twice—won once, and she won the other time. I played excellently in the first two sets, while she made a lot of mistakes. Later, she improved her game. After it was 2-2 in sets, I thought to myself: be brave. In the fifth set, I played tactically well. I don't even remember that she had a match point; I was fully focused, point by point.”

Andjela came to Paris as the current European champion, having won silver at the World Championships in Granada in 2022 and bronze in Laško in 2018. These were her fourth Paralympic Games. She placed ninth in London, and fifth in both Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo. She finally earned her reward in Paris.

"In London, I was young and lost; I didn’t know how to play, and I got in through a wildcard. In Rio, I could have won a medal, but it didn’t happen, and in Tokyo, I lost to Yoon in the quarterfinals. I cried for three days.

I couldn’t have won in Paris in a better way—my loved ones were in the stands. I found my stride in the semifinals, I enjoyed it, and overall, this Paris experience has been unforgettable,"

MUŽINIĆ VINCETIĆ had great support in the stands of the South Paris Arena. Her parents, Željko and Maria, her husband, former Paralympian Kristijan VINCETIĆ, her family, friends, and other athletes all cheered her on.

MUŽINIĆ VINCETIĆ has been training with Mirela ŠIKORONJA IVANČIN since 2010.

"I'm still overwhelmed. The semifinal was phenomenal, but the final was of incredible quality. We prepared in secret, but we wanted to remain calm. I always think of our footballers—modest and quiet. That's how we approached it. I'm proud. I knew the Korean wouldn’t give away any points," said ŠIKORONJA IVANČIN. "Anđela played incredibly—she had focus, speed, technique. She deserved this. We worked 15 years for this.”