The Montenegrin women's handball team failed to qualify for the Olympic Games, which are being held in Paris this summer.
Today, the "Lionesses" were defeated by Slovenia (30:26) in the last match of the qualification tournament in Ulm, so they were left without the opportunity to participate in the Games for the fourth time in a row.
"It's hard to talk now. From the start, I felt the burden. I know that these are players who want a lot and who have been through some handball, not so much that they would play these kinds of matches in these moments where decisions are made. A lot of them were with a lot of energy and it was felt at the beginning with some shots, when Slovenia broke away. Those shots cost us again, we didn't manage to get into the rhythm. Gros is a top player, opening up to her, to prevent those shots, we opened the zone and then that was it places for the other players. We fought, I'm sorry," said coach Bojana Popović after the game.
After London, Rio and Tokyo, Montenegro will not participate in the Games in Paris.
"This is a young generation that has a perspective. They have to survive games like this, to feel what it's like. The experience is priceless. They are young, they will have the opportunity to feel the charm of the Olympic Games. This is a good team, which holds together well. Proud I was the coach of this national team. They should go with their heads held high, because they did everything they could," said the coach.
In an interview with RTCG after the match, Bojana Popović also talked about her future on the bench of the national team. She has been a coach since 2021, when she succeeded Kim Rasmussen.
"I was on two sides for three or four years, and that is a terribly difficult job for a woman. So I think that at this moment it is too much for me. I will do well to think about what and how to proceed. To be honest, if we had passed Olympic Games, my plan was to leave it to someone else, because I think that at this moment, maybe someone can give more, with more energy and some giving, and I should devote myself to the club, because we have serious work waiting for us in the future I know what it's like to be on both sides all these years. So, thank you to everyone who supported us. We gave our best. I'm proud of how we did cooperated. We made a great team and I am grateful to them for that. I know that they will push it, that they have learned in which direction to think, and I think that is enough for everything that follows," said the coach for RTCG.
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