Name:
BiBa
Golic
Date
of
Birth:
November
9th,
1977
Nation
Represented:
Republic
of
Serbia
 |
| BiBa Golic, one of the world's most recognised female table tennis icons |
Equipment:
Blade:
Killerspin
Diamond
CQ
(Flare
Handle)
FH
Rubber:
Killerspin
Fortissimo
2.0
BH
Rubber:
Killerspin
Fortissimo
2.0
At
what age did you start playing table tennis and how did you come to
be a part of the sport?
I
started
playing
at
the
age
of
9.
My
father
was
a
sports
enthusiast
and
he
loved
to
play
table
tennis
along
with
other
sports
like
basketball,
handball
and
soccer.
He
introduced
me
and
my
sister
to
table
tennis
by
bringing
us
table
tennis
paddles
and
balls.
He
showed
us
how
to
bounce
the
ball
on
the
racket…this
skill
became
my
obsession;
I
wanted
to
be
able
to
bounce
the
ball
as
well
as
my
dad
did
so
I
started
practicing
at
home.
The
next
step
was
to
be
able
to
bounce
the
ball
off
the
wall.
After
that
I
signed
up
to
learn
table
tennis
at
the
local
club
and
that
started
my
journey
to
becoming
a
professional
player.
You
became a member of the Serbian National team early in your career,
what was your training schedule like in a week?
I
entered
the
Serbian
National
Team
when
I
was
a
cadet
(12
years
old)
and
progressed
to
become
a
member
of
national
team.
I
trained
4-6
hours
each
day.
What
has the biggest achievement of your career been to date?
I
was
national
champion
at
a
relatively
young
age.
I
have
won
a
total
of
9
national
titles
in
my
career.
They
all
mean
a
lot
to
me.
I
finished
second
at
the
US
Open
with
my
doubles
partner,
Gina
Pota,
from
Hungary.
I
was
really
disappointed
that
we
didn’t
win;
we
were
so
close!
In
another
tournament
I
was
playing
against
World
and
Olympic
Champion
Wang
Nan
and
missed
a
chance
to
be
one
of
the
few
women
in
the
world
to
ever
beat
her.
She
is
an
amazingly
strong
player.
Below
are
some
highlights
from
my
career:
- 7 - Yugoslavian Championship Titles
- 4 - US National Collegiate Championship Titles
- 2 - Balkan Championship Titles
- Mediterranean Champion
- Multiple Regional Titles
- US Open Runner-up
- Bronze – European Championships
How
do you feel your career in table tennis has changed over the years?
First,
I
have
never
thought
I
will
be
in
the
sport
after
I
retired
from
playing
for
the
Serbian
National
Team.
Not
that
I
never
wanted
to
stay
in
the
sport,
it
is
just
that
there
were
not
so
many
opportunities
for
women
in
Serbia.
I
think
the
biggest
change
in
my
career
happened
with
the
decision
I
made
to
move
to
the
United
States.
At
the
time
I
played
the
best
league
in
Europe,
the
Bundesliga in
Germany.
The
season
was
very
intense
and
I
felt
I
needed
a
change.
I
wanted
to
extend
my
educational
horizons
while
still
playing
table
tennis.
This
opportunity
was
presented
to
me
via
scholarship
at
Texas
Wesleyan
University.
At
that
time
I
was
already
sponsored
Killerspin,
which
I
knew
was
the
coolest
table
tennis
brand.
This
transition
to
the
US
wasn’t
easy
but
I
had
a
goal
to
educate
myself
in
business
which
kept
me
motivated
through
the
years.
Now
when
I
look
back
I
realize
how
much
I
have
grown
as
a
person;
learning
and
using
a
different
language
every
day,
being
immersed
in
a
new
culture
and
experiences
alternative
perspectives
in
world
of
sports
business.
Also,
to
be
the
only
female
table
tennis
athlete
in
the
US
that
received
so
much
media
attention
was
something
new
to
me,
something
that
I
also
needed
to
adjust
to
and
take
in.
All
these
things
were
not
really
part
of
my
life
while
living
in
Serbia
and
it
took
time
to
accept
these
facts
and
treat
them
as
part
of
my
new
life.
Being
involved
with
Killerspin
exposed
me
to
the
world
of
media;
by
being
the
spokesperson
for
the
brand
I
was
able
to
promote
the
sport
of
table
tennis.
Also,
this
role
allowed
me
to
participate
in
some
extraordinary
Killerspin
events,
movie
projects,
commercials
etc.
It
is
still
amazing
when
I
look
back
and
go
over
all
the
things
I
was
part
of
and
to
say
that
this
happened
exclusively
because
of
table
tennis!!!
I
feel
blessed
that
I
have
had
the
opportunity
to
stay
in
the
sport
I
love,
grow
as
a
businesswoman
and
contribute
to
the
advancement
of
the
sport.
 |
| Stunning both on and off the table. The lovely BiBa Golic in action. |
You
were named one of ESPN's sexiest females in sport and also SPIKE TV's
Guy's Choice award for hottest athlete. Do you think image is
something important for the development of women's table tennis
internationally?
I
think
being
yourself,
along
with
having
charisma,
are
important
aspects
of
building
an
audience
and
when
these
are
backed
up
by
results
and
a
compelling
story
the
attention
finds
you!
How
did it feel for you to receive this kind of recognition?
It
felt
totally
weird
and
unexpected.
At
first
I
did
not
know
how
to
react
to
the
Guy’s
Choice
Award
contest.
It
was
something
I
wasn’t
familiar
with
and
came
as
a
big
surprise...
I
wasn’t
aware
that
people
are
paying
attention
to
these
kinds
of
things.
I
guess
this
confirms
that
in
show
business
look
is
also
important
along
with
the
personality,
the
character
and
the
way
you
represent
yourself
as
well
as
the
story
you
carry
along.
In
the
end
I
was
glad
to
be
recognized
by
the
Guy’s
Choice
and
that
I
had
the
opportunity
to
represent
our
sport
in
the
celebrity
world.
Guy’s
Choice
Awards
was
truly
an
amazing
event,
which
awarded
me
a
lot
of
media
exposure.
However,
this
award
truly
came
after
I
appeared
in
one
of
the
ESPN
commercials
to
promote
ESPN’s
online
campaign.
The
commercial
was
called
“follow
your
sport”
and
it
was
broadcasted
nationally
across
all
of
ESPN’s
channels
at
the
time.
Once
they
released
the
commercial,
the
name
BiBa
Golic
appeared
2nd
on
the
Yahoo
search
of
the
day.
That
was
pretty
amazing!
What
do you enjoy most about playing table tennis?
I
have
experienced
table
tennis
in
many
different
ways
throughout
out
my
career.
First,
when
I
started
to
play
on
a
regular
basis
it
was
a
way
for
me
to
connect
with
my
father.
I
really
got
to
know
his
character
outside
of
home,
actually
outside
of
the
regular
role
that
fathers
have.
His
passion
for
the
sport
and
competition
really
got
transferred
to
me
through
table
tennis.
I
admired
those
personality
values.
Also,
my
first
goal
in
table
tennis
was
to
beat
my
dad!
That
was
a
big
mountain
to
climb…
Secondly,
I
enjoyed
the
process
of
developing
the
skills
of
the
game.
Third,
learning
the
tactics
of
the
game
really
forced
my
brain
to
work
and
focus!
Later
on,
I
experienced
the
joy
of
competing,
of
course
with
this
came
the
time
when
I
learned
what
it
feels
like
when
you
win
and
the
least
pleasant
feeling
when
you
lose.
Since
retiring
from
professional
competition
I
enjoy
table
tennis
as
a
form
of
exercise
and
to
keep
myself
fit.
In
summary,
table
tennis
played
a
big
role
in
developing
the
person
I
am
today.
 |
| BiBa hanging out with Hollywood actress Halle Berry! |
What
has
been
your
favorite
table
tennis
event
to
play
at
since
the
beginning
of
your
career?
From
the
entertainment
perspective,
I
really
think
that
the
event
that
left
an
unforgettable
memory
was
the
Killerspin
Extreme
in
Chicago.
The
production
was
extraordinary.
The
event
was
opened
by
a
guy
that
was
playing
the
American
anthem
on
an
electric
guitar!
There
were
only
4
courts
surrounded
by
thousands
of
people
in
the
audience,
which
caused
an
amazing
focus
on
the
players
so
the
atmosphere
was
intense
and
dramatic.
The
introduction
of
the
athletes
was
orchestrated
in
an
unusual
way.
The
athletes
were
escorted
each
by
a
person
a
female
model
that
was
escorting
male
players
or
a
masculine
athlete
that
was
escorting
female
players.
The
music
and
the
lighting
were
so
well
coordinated
with
what
was
happening
on
the
ground.
Also,
the
filming
crew
was
incredible
by
picking
the
most
unusual
angles
to
capture
the
most
amazing
shots
performed
by
players.
I
have
never
been
in
a
position
to
add
to
such
a
strong
table
tennis
entertainment
event.
What
has
been
your
favorite
publicity
event
and
why?
The
Chicago
International
Table
Tennis
Festival
hosted
by
Killerspin
in
the
fall
of
2012.
The
reason
is
that
I
had
the
opportunity
to
give
a
lot
of
interviews
promoting
the
event
and
encourage
the
crowd
to
come
stop
by
and
witness
what
table
tennis
is
like
with
the
best
players
in
the
world.
Also,
the
Chinese
Delegation
attended
and
I
had
opportunity
to
welcome
the
top
players
in
the
World
to
my
city.
I
took
this
as
a
great
privilege
and
honor.
Do
you have any big goals you would like to achieve in the near future
for table tennis?
My
goal
is
always
to
help
the
sport
to
grow.
 |
| Supporting feminine sport apparel for Table Tennis A classic shot of BiBa from Killerspin |
What
do you think of the shorts vs. skirts/dresses debate in women's table
tennis, do you think women in table tennis should dress in a more
feminine manner?
Definitely,
after
all
we
are
women.
We
should
be
dressed
like
women.
I
think
it
is
a
stereotype
which
has
been
seeded
long
time
ago
around
the
unisex
clothes
that
women
have
unconsciously
accepted.
Killerspin
has
done
a
lot
to
break
that
habit
and
push
for
a
more
feminine
look.
I
truly
hope
that
with
the
time
we
will
only
see
skirts
and
women’s-cut
shirts
to
be
worn
by
female
players.
There
are
so
many
beautiful
girls
in
our
sport.
I
don’t
think
anyone
should
be
ashamed
of
the
athletic
body.
It
should
be
the
same
as
it
is
in
women’s
tennis!
Who
is
your
favorite
female
player
to
watch?
Ding
Ning
What
do you like to do in your spare time for fun?
I
like
to
spend
a
lot
of
time
outdoors.
I
really
enjoy
the
nature
a
lot;
it
relaxes
me.
I
also
like
to
hang
out
with
friends.
Go
see
a
movie,
or
go
to
some
of
my
favorite
restaurants
or
cafe’s.
I
like
to
listen
to
a
live
band.
If
you won $1million what would be the first thing you would do?
Put
it in the bank!
Where
is
your
favorite
holiday
destination?
My
favorite
holiday
destination
is
taking
a
trip
to
Serbia
to
visit
my
family.
What
advice can you give female players out there to succeed in table
tennis?
To
work
hard,
educate
and
believe.
A classic video from the Killerspin Spinvitational
BiBa Golic vs. Soo Yeon Lee
Thank
you so much for the chance to interview you, I have been looking
forward to this opportunity for a while :D
Very good interview, keep up the good work.
ReplyDeleteBarry Meisel
Thanks Barry, I will do my best :)
ReplyDelete