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EVROPSKE IGRE
I OLIMPIJADA
– Velika mi je čast što ću biti
deo reprezentacije Srbije na
prvim Evropskim igrama u
junu u prestonici Azerbejdžana
– kaže Jovana. – Kao i svi
sportisti, i ja sanjam odlazak
na Olimpijske igre u Rio 2016.
godine. Fokusirana sam na to i
svakoga dana radim na tome.
e
EUROPEAN
GAMES AND THE
OLYMPICS
– It is a great honour for
me that I will be part of the
Serbian national team at the
first European Games in June
in the capital of Azerbaijan –
says Jovana. – Like all athletes,
I also dream of going to the
Olympic Games in Rio in 2016. I
am focused on that and I work
towards it every day.
e
and a year later she com-
peted in the World Cup. Today
she is an equal member of the
world’s class of professionals.
- In Serbia there are no ap-
propriate conditions for train-
ing - says Jovana. – Unlike my
rivals from France, Sweden,
Germany, Italy and Austria,
who have traversed all types of
terrain, it was only during the
races that I managed to over-
come the fear of jumps up to
two metres high and learned
how to ride technically de-
manding courses.
Persistence and stubborn-
ness, a very strong will and
talent, obviously, lifted her to
the top of the world.
- I train on the slopes
Košutnjak in Belgrade and on
Fruška Gora, and I worked on
difficult technical elements
with a trainer from Slovenia –
says Crnogorac. – All the cash
prizes for my success that
I received from the Bicycle
Association, I invested in my-
self and my progress.
In this kind of sport train-
ing never stops. If you’re not
riding a bike, then you’re
training hard in the gym.
However, physical fitness
is not all that’s required to
achieve a good result.
- I need to make decisions
quickly – explains Jovana.
– A course filled with tough
obstacles is already challeng-
ing enough, but this is also
a race and I have to be faster
than 50 or more girls. I often
find myself in a duel with one
or more competitors who are
at my heels, and I only man-
age to keep the lead if I make
wise moves. As I’m naturally
shy, minor mistakes usually
destroyed my concentration
and placement at the track.
Thanks to working with a
psychologist, I managed to
overcome this problem and
be more assertive and aggres-
sive at key moments, which is
very important in this sport. I
learned to never give up.
Results came surprisingly
quickly. Last year Jovana
took fifth place overall among
48 competitors in the world
championship, and after six
races of the World Cup she
was fifth among a field of
more than 60 competitors in
the Under-23 category.
- I am very satisfied with
what I have achieved, but I
mustn’t lean on former glory –
says Jovana cautiously. – This
year I’m riding in the elite
category, where the races are
much more demanding and
there are more competitors
who are more experienced.
Jovana Crnogorac’s suc-
cesses have inspired some
other girls in Serbia to take
on this sport and they can be
seen in increasing numbers
training on the few courses in
the vicinity of Belgrade and
Novi Sad. However, Jovana
remains our only competitor
in the World Cup, which this
year starts in May.
