It is a great success to be in the competition for the prestigious "Piotr Nurovski" award, and just being among the three best young female athletes in Europe is something to dream about, said Montenegrin taekwondo athlete Andrea Berišaj.
The best athletes were selected by representatives of the national European Olympic Committees during the 55th General Assembly in Budapest.
Berishaj emphasized that she was proud to represent Montenegro at such an important event.
"I have a long road ahead of me, but I will not stop until I represent Montenegro at the Olympic Games. I am proud of everything I have achieved so far. And all of this is just another step towards our goal and I will not stop until I achieve it," Berishaj said at a press conference.
Berishaj was among six finalists from across Europe, along with representatives from Romania, Great Britain, Bulgaria, Estonia and Slovenia.
There were 21 candidates from European National Olympic Committees in the competition.
Previous winners of the award have won a total of 42 Olympic and 151 world championship medals.
The "Piotr Nurowski" Award, named after the former president of the Polish Olympic Committee and prominent sportsman, was established in 2011 and is awarded to the most promising young athletes in Europe.
Coach Vlado Stanišić said that the EOK award is an important step in their progress, but it is not the most important and that they do not want to lose focus from the higher goals that were set a long time ago.
He recalled that the younger of the Berishaj sisters won a bronze medal at the European Senior Championships in Munich this year, in May.
"In 2025, she won three bronze medals at major international competitions: at the European Senior Championships in Olympic categories in Aigle, Switzerland, at the World U21 Championships in Kenya and at the European U21 Championships in Pristina, all in the 67 kg category. Based on these results, the Montenegrin Olympic Committee declared her the best athlete of Montenegro for 2025," said the coach of the Podgorica club S3.
Stanišić emphasized that behind all this lies great effort and work, enormous sacrifice.
"Taekwondo is experiencing a complete boom and all the hard work is paying off. We are recording results in all starting categories at international tournaments and European championships. We are pleased with the successes, but we must not lose focus on higher goals and dreams," said Stanišić.
He said that Berishaj managed to qualify for three important Grand Prix tournaments, which are significant for collecting points and are stronger in quality and rank than the European Championships.
"We have three G tournaments at the local level ahead of us where we will try to fight for an even better position in the rankings," said Stanišić.
According to him, summer preparations and camps follow, and from August 23rd, several significant tournaments: the Mediterranean Games, the Women's World Championship and the Grand Prix in Korea.
President of the Taekwondo Federation Predrag Drecun said that Berishaj was only a few shades away from the brightest medals.
"The prestigious "Piotr Nurovski" award is the greatest sporting recognition Montenegro has ever received. We expect a lot from Andrea, as well as from her sister Anđela. She is back after a year of injury, and her fifth place at the European Championships is encouraging," said Decun.
He emphasized that they are not aware of the potential of taekwondo competitors and that he believes that there will be more medals from the most important international competitions in the coming period.
General Secretary Radomir Nastic said that Andrea Berishaj's successes are not accidental, but are the result of continuous work in the club and national team.
"They are part of the Taekwondo Federation's strategy that was launched in 2017. Berišaj has confirmed her immense talent and represents the most serious Montenegrin candidate for Los Angeles," concluded Nastic.
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