Amel Tuka for NAP: We are going to Beijing for gold too, my Bosnia and Herzegovina deserves nothing less

I don't ask for much, but I give back multiple times over – says in an interview with the news agency Patria the best Bosnian-Herzegovinian athlete of all time, who on Friday evening at the prestigious Diamond League in Monaco won first place in the 800-meter race, when he captivated audiences worldwide with a new personal record.

The modest 24-year-old Amel Tuka is currently preparing in Verona, Italy, for the World Championships, which will be held in Beijing from August 22 to 30. He will return to Bosnia and Herzegovina only briefly before that, most likely around August 9.

- There are too many commitments. It's hard to balance everything. Invitations are coming from all sides. Especially now after the result in Monaco. The world stage has opened up for us. And, with all the obligations, we always try to accommodate everyone – adds Tuka, listing that before Beijing, he has an exhibition race in Switzerland on July 21, and he is also in negotiations about a competition in London scheduled for July 25.

What Tuka showed on the 17th of this month in Monaco, at the prestigious Diamond League, which gathers only the greats of world athletics, was praised by the world's largest media. With a time of 1:42.51 over 800 meters, Tuka captivated all athletics fans, achieved the 10th best result of all time in world athletics, broke his personal record, as well as the national record, which, besides him, no one in Bosnia and Herzegovina has set for several years.
"World, it's time to officially meet Amel Tuka," world media announced, after Amel shocked Nigel Amos, Ayanleh Souleiman, Mohamed Aman, and numerous other world competitors in Monaco.

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And, the results of the modest 24-year-old Bosnian athlete are even greater considering the conditions in which he trains, meaning he has no permanent sponsors or significant state support.

- On the track, I give my maximum. I think of my country and God. Those are my greatest motivations – says Tuka for Patria. He explains that he ultimately does not expect much from the state, even though he gives back multiple times. However, he admits, it would be easier for his team and him, and he is sure they would achieve even better results, if Bosnia and Herzegovina provided them with better working conditions.

- That means staying for several months in Kenya or another African country during the winter months when I cannot train in Bosnia and Herzegovina, or money for altitude training on one of the mountains. My team is small. The money we need is symbolic, compared to what we bring to Bosnia and Herzegovina – says Tuka.

He believes in a good result in Beijing at the end of next month, just as he believed in it during the competition in Monaco. The colors of the state flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina, he says, deserve nothing less than gold, and he will give his all to achieve it in China in about a month, writes Patria.