Montenegro was represented in Paris by 19 Olympians, from only one team sport, with six individuals who, with the exception of sailors Milivoje Dukić and they had no special expectations before coming to the City of Light.
A tennis player Danka Kovinic arrived at the Olympic Games after a break of 10 months, she won only a game in a duel with Maria Sakari (it was not realistic to get a better result, maybe it was the stronger resistance of the rivals from Greece), boxer Bojana Gojković made her Olympic debut in the first round, while young swimmers had a praiseworthy performance Jovan Kuljač i Miloš Milenkovic.
Athlete Darko Pešić, a decathlete, competed in the 100-meter race, he was in his time, which is normally far from what the Olympic Games require. He had a chance, if nothing else, to see what it means to be part of the biggest competition.
As always, water polo players were the most trusted. Perhaps those expectations did not go so far as to believe in a medal, but looking at the result - the chosen ones Vladimir Gojković failed because they were eliminated in the group for the first time in history.
The impression in the five matches in the pool of "Aquatic Center" and "La Defons Arena" (where they played last against Romania) was better than the results and shows that the "Sharks" were competitive with the best teams on the planet. But being competitive and beating the strongest rivals are two completely different categories.
And what to do next? Montenegrin sport is far from a good state, and the crucial question is what it will be like in the next Olympic cycle, which begins immediately after August 11. Practically as soon as the medal fights in Paris are over.
Los Angeles in 2028 still has a long way to go, but essentially that time will pass quickly if not used in the right way. And now there is an objective danger for Montenegrin sports - will they have and how many representatives will they have in the City of Angels? This, of course, does not mean those sports for which a special invitation will surely arrive. In general, not much can be asked of them.
For Paris, in addition to water polo players, only Dukić had the norm for the Olympic Games, who once again showed that he belongs in the company of the best, the other five places were filled with wild cards. Then, should attention be paid to those same water polo players and Dukić ("sharks" there were 5, Novljan's fourth Games) - should they be a priority for the state, or at least at the top of the priority?
We certainly still believe in the handball players who could not get an Olympic visa this time (they were stopped at the tournament in Ulm), the basketball players may have been closer to Paris than they themselves believed they were - despite being decimated by injuries and dismissals, because the qualifications in Riga definitely "offered" a chance that doesn't appear often. I guess everyone learned something in the meantime, because Los Angeles is around the corner.
Bonus video:
