Serbian taekwondo practitioner Milica Mandić, is an Olympic champion, a World Championships gold-medallist, and a European Championships finalist. Mandić competes in the +67kg and -73kg divisions, and is widely regarded as one of her country’s most successful taekwondo athletes. In recognition of her extraordinary contribution to the sport, she was inducted into the Taekwondo Hall of Fame in 2013.
Mandić began competing in taekwondo at cadet level, including appearing at the European Junior Championships, and taking a bronze medal in her age-group at the Dutch Open in 2007. She burst onto the world stage the following year with a bronze medal at the World Junior Championships in Izmir, and went on to earn her first senior medal when she took gold at Zagreb’s Croatia Open. Her success quickly grew, including taking bronze at the 2011 World Championships, silver at the European Championships the following year, and later travelling to the Olympic Games in London. Sensationally, she would advance to the Olympic final, ultimately beating France’s Anne-Caroline Graffe to take the gold. The feat made her Olympic champion at her debut Games, and won her Serbia’s first gold medal as an independent country.
Beyond her Olympic win, Mandić has earned a further two silver medals at the European Championships, and has taken further silvers at the European Games in Baku and the Mediterranean Games in Mersin. At the World Championships, she took her first title in Muju in 2017, while on the Grand Prix circuit she has achieved half a dozen medals including a gold in Manchester in 2014. To date, she has landed over 40 podium finishes at Open Tournaments, including two dozen golds at events across the globe.
