Road to Paris 2024: Serbian World Champion Joins Forces With USA’s Wrestling Champion for Olympic Training

Beating the best of the best, the 2023 World Champion Steven Micic had proven his flair by pulling off against the unthinkable World Champions. The wrestler also beat Ray Higuchi, who is the 61kg World Champion in Serbia and an Olympic silver in Rio. Currently preparing for the Dan Kolov Tournament in Bulgaria, Steven Micic is ready to compete harder on his road (journey) to Paris 2024.

In December’23, he had quoted on Instagram, “I feel I’m still a competitor.” He had also added that he had the fire and the motivation to beat all. Pacing up for the competition, he brings a US Pan-American champion to indulge in the hardline practice sessions in Region Wrestling Academy, Indiana, USA.

Micic and McKenna have their goals set

The Region Wrestling Academy, famous for building champions on and off the mat, has previously delivered several NCAA champions, state champions, and also Olympians. So, mounting the training sessions out here, the two American wrestlers are stepping up their game by competing neck-to-neck. In its recent training session telecasted on YouTube, Steven Micic and Joey Mckenna were seen struggling in the ‘squared circle’.

Hopeful for the Olympic gold, these two competitive wrestlers were seen doing gut wrenches, moves, bridges, breakdowns, cross-facing, and whatnot. Steven Micic who was seen hosting a preparatory vlog series concerning the upcoming Paris games, said, “This week Joey’s in town, so we’re just getting going. I’m getting ready for a competition. Joey is not competing till the Olympic Trials, so he is trying to get some working.” Joey Mckenna was also seen battling on his road to Paris 2024, trying all wrestling positions to compete against Steven Micic. But after the intense sessions, comes the much-needed refreshment.

The lighter note after the battle

After finishing their rigorous training session, the wrestlers run to grab the Munster Donut. Joey Mckenna calls it having “the classic vibe.. like the old school”. The 1969-established donut shop seems everyone’s favorite here. Munching the yummy donuts, the wrestlers talked about the training session.

Read More: American Wrestler Goes the Extra Mile To Chase Olympic Glory and Shatter National Record in His Last Quest

Joey Mckenna responded, “Incredible. We have had three good sessions on the mat so far. It’s Wednesday. Wednesdays are mostly off, but we got to make the most of our time.” Dealing with stressful short time situations is the deal breaker this while.

A well-set mind and getting the game plan ready are the primary focus for the two wrestlers at present. Eyeing gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics, the YouTube video ends with their warm-up sessions and a glimpse of technical wrestling movements during their training sessions. The two champion wrestlers are surely setting the tone right for the upcoming big games.