Olivera Nakovska-Bikova (born 11 November 1974) is a Macedonian paralympian and sports shooter who won the gold medal in the women's 10 metre air pistol SH1 at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London, England. Olivera is also competing in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics Games.
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| National team | North Macedonia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 22 November 1974 Bitola, SR Macedonia, SFR Yugoslavia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation | Athlete | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse | Zlatko Bikov | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country | North Macedonia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Shooting sports | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Disability | SH1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | SSRI Bitola [North Macedonia] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coached by | Branimir Jovanovski | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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| Updated on 14 November 2017. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Career edit
Olivera Nakovska-Bikova was born in Bitola, SR Macedonia. She went on to compete in shooting sports, becoming successful specifically with air pistols, winning the European Championships in 2001 and being part of the team who won the silver medal at the 2002 IPC Shooting World Championships. She attended her first Summer Paralympics in Athens, Greece, in 2004, where she finished sixth in the competition.[1]
She qualified for the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London, England, following a third-place result at a World Cup event in Zagreb in 2010. At the Paralympics, she competed in the 10 metre air pistol SH1 and sets a new Paralympic Record to win the gold medal.[1] After her win, Nakovska-Bikova was telephoned by Gjorge Ivanov, President of Macedonia, to congratulate her,[2] while Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski sent her a messaging praising her achievement.[3] Online commentators were critical of the lack of priority given in the media to Nakovska-Bikova's victory, with none of the national news programmes including it as the lead story.[4] The Government of Macedonia subsequently awarded Nakovska-Bikova with €30,000.[5]
She was selected once again for Macedonia for the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.[6] Nakovska-Bikova's best result at the 2016 was the fourth place she achieved in the mixed 50 metre air pistol SH1.[7]
References edit
- ^ a b "Olivera Nakovska-Bikova". Gauss Institute. Archived from the original on 15 November 2017. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
- ^ "Telephone conversation with the world record holder, Olivera Nakovska Bikova – You are an inspiration to young people and future athletes in our country". President of the Republic of Macedonia. 2 September 2017. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
- ^ "PM Gruevski congratulates Olivera Nakovska Bikova on Paralympics gold medal". Vlada.mk. 2 September 2012. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
- ^ Stojanovski, Filip (31 August 2012). "Macedonia: Demanding Triumphal Welcome for Paralympics Champion". Global Voices. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
- ^ "30.000 Euros Prize for Paralympic Gold Medalist Nakovska-Bikova". Kurir. 12 September 2012. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
- ^ "Nakovska-Bikova and Karanfilov to represent Macedonia at 2016 Rio Paralympics". Macedonian Information Agency. 26 August 2016. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
- ^ "Nakovska Bikova wins 4th place in Rio Paralympics air pistol competition". Republika. 15 September 2016. Retrieved 14 November 2017.