The Montenegrin sports expedition will travel tomorrow to Andorra, where the Games of Small Countries of Europe (IMZE) will be held from May 26 to 31.
Montenegro has been participating in the IMZE since 2011, and so far our athletes have won a total of 125 medals - 55 gold, 24 silver and 46 bronze.
Montenegro will be represented in Andorra in 10 sports - two team sports - women's basketball and rugby 7, and eight individual sports: athletics, judo, karate, tennis, table tennis, swimming, rhythmic gymnastics and shooting.
IMZE will mean a lot to the Montenegrin women's basketball team on their way to the European Championship, which begins on June 19. Our young basketball team will play their first match against the host Andorra on May 27, followed by matches against Cyprus and Luxembourg. The semifinals are on May 30, and the final is a day later.
Composition: Bojana Kovačević, Jelena Bulajić, Marija Leković, Maja Bigović, Milica Jovanović, Jovana Pašić, Jovana Savković, Milena Bigović, Marija Baošić, Nikolina Ilic, Zorana Radonjić, Sofija Živaljević.
"Andorra is an important stop for us for the European Championship. We will play five games, and the goal is for the girls with less playing time to spend more time on the field and to improve their form for the European Championship. We will try to transfer some of the things we have been doing to the field, but also some new ones. We are weakened, Dragana Živković is not with us due to private obligations, and Ksenija Šćepanović and Anastasija Drobnjak are recovering from injuries. Nataša Mek has an injury, we are monitoring her condition and we will see what the situation will be and whether she will be with us, because everything depends on her recovery," said coach Jelena Škerović.
The Montenegrin rugby team will make its debut at the IMZE. The discipline in question is rugby 7s, and our rugby players are in a group with Malta, Andorra and San Marino. The other group includes Luxembourg, Monaco, Cyprus and Liechtenstein.
The competition starts on May 28th.
"We are facing by far the toughest competition. Some national teams that are close to rugby superpowers such as Spain, France, and England will be playing at IMZE. We have already played against these national teams, and in most cases, unfortunately, we lost. But we are always ready to surprise," said national team player Boris Mijušković.
Line-up: Boris Mijušković, Dušan Vučićević, Ilija Glogovac, Ivan Čolaković, Jovan Mrdak, Marko Andrić, Marko Kosović, Martin Mijušković, Nikola Luketa, Novica Raonić, Vladan Čelebić, Vuk Sekulić.
Montenegro will be represented in athletics by: Amir Papazi, Matija Vojvodić, Marija Bogavac, Anđela Drobnjak, Anđela Đuranović, Marija Vuković and Vesna Kljajević.
"I expect a strong competition, and we have competitive competitors for medals. Amir Papazi is in extremely good form in the javelin, with a distance of over 72-73 meters, which is a good result for that level and for winning a gold or silver medal. Anđela Drobnjak will compete in the 100 hurdles and long jump. The 100 hurdles is her stronger discipline and expectations are higher. She is in good form and can win a medal, and she won silver in Malta two years ago. Young Matija Vojvodić has shown talent and the 110 meter hurdles awaits him. Marija Bogavac throws the javelin. Recently, at a meeting in Vienna, she threw a distance of around 53,31, which I think is a good result," said the coach. Osman Erović, and continued:
"We naturally expect Marija Vuković to place extremely high in the high jump and win a medal. Vesna Kljajević is a young competitor, studying in the USA and has an excellent result in the shot put. She has stabilized at over 14-15 meters and can compete for a medal. We have another young competitor (born in 2008), Anđela Đuranović, who will represent us in the long jump. She has shown a higher level of form, and her best result is 5,89. If she is at the level, she can achieve a high placement."
Tea Nikčević and Stefan Đoković will make their tennis debut (singles and mixed doubles).
"Participating in the IMZE means a lot to us, we will represent our country at a big event. The Games in Budva were fantastic, so we can imagine what can await us in Andorra. Tea was named the best tennis player in Montenegro, and Stefan is also a good tennis player. I am sure that we will gain the necessary experience, and we will also see how competitors from other countries are preparing. We will only talk about the competition when we get to Andorra," said coach Igor Govedarica.
Miloš Milenković will swim the 50 and 100 butterfly events. He starts on May 28th (qualifications for the 50 butterfly, finals on May 30th), and a day later he will compete in the longer distance qualifying (final on the same day).
"We received the time list and Miloš is among the top three swimmers. For the first time - historically - that we have a swimmer in the medal zone. In general, swimming has always been strong, and this year it is the strongest. We are in the preparation period. We were recently in Vienna and Miloš was within the limits of the national records. It is possible that he will push the limits in Andorra, although we are expected to compete at the World Championships in July. Miloš will swim at the European Under-23 Championships before competing at the World Championships," said head coach Danijela Franeta.
Helena Backović, Nađa Boričić, Nenad Dulović, Lazar Jovović, Nemanja Jovović, Mila Mraković (kata), Kenan Nikočević (kata), Jovana Stojanović and Balša Vojinović will represent the Montenegrin karate team in Andorra.
"In karate, in general, we always have high expectations because we are competitive on the world and European stage. We expect a good performance. The kata team will perform on May 27th and 28th," said coach Biserka Radulović.
Montenegro will compete in shooting with six competitors. In the "air" program - Miloš Božović (air rifle), Kristina Popović (air rifle), Ksenija Jukić (air rifle), Nevena Šaranović (pistol), and in the trap discipline Jovica Marković and Ivo Stanišić. The competitions start on May 27. Statement from the coach (trap) Nikola Perišić:
"Trap is perhaps the strongest tournament, and San Marino is a world power. We are very competitive in the 'air' program, but it is not easy to win a medal. If they reach the final, they will have a better chance than Trap," believes coach Nikola Perišić.
Two ladies will also make their debut in rhythmic gymnastics. Montenegro will be represented by Nina Dragović and Anđela Vuković (the competition starts on May 30th and 31st).
"We expect to pass the qualifications, and therefore the finals in all four events (hoop, ball, pins and ribbon). Both competitors will probably fight for a medal. I hope that Montenegro will win a medal after the Mediterranean Championships. Just because we won a medal at a competition like this, I expect to show at the IMZE that we can win a medal," said coach Vesna Radonić. Montenegro's representatives in table tennis are Jakša Krivokapić, Stefan Radonjić, Kristina Šebek and Anastasija Vujović. The competition starts with doubles on May 27, and then - individually and in teams.
"We are going with a younger team, but that doesn't mean we won't chase a medal. Admittedly, our team is young, less experienced, but it was the same when we debuted at the IMZE in Liechtenstein. An exciting tournament awaits us, and I am sure that our competitors will have maximum access. They are playing well, winning medals in their categories, they are active and I believe that we will be satisfied after the tournament. Anastasija is the youngest - at 14 years old, and the juniors are Jakša, Stefan and Kristina," added table tennis coach Dijana Zonjić.
The judo team is composed of: Ena Šćepanović (up to 52 kilograms), Tamara Gardašević (up to 57 kg), Ivana Šunjević (up to 63 kg), Edvin Čivović (up to 60 kg - team part), Emil Sinanović (up to 66 kg), Jusuf Nurković (up to 73 kg), Jahja Nurković (up to 81 kg), Novo Raičević (up to 90 kg), Andrija Martinović (up to 100 kg), Slobodan Vukić (over 100 kg).
The competition begins on May 27th with individual bouts, followed by the team competition two days later.
"Montenegro has good judokas and we always have a good chance for the best medals. The national team has been rejuvenated, we gave the younger ones a chance to experience the IMZE concept. Each of them can go for a medal, but also, and on the other hand, the point of judo is that you go home for just one mistake. There is no redress in judo. The national team has a goal, whoever the opponent is, the approach is always the same. I am sure there will be reason to celebrate," said coach Ilija Vukotić.
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