Judokas Larisa Cerić and Aleksandra Samardžić Qualify for Paris Olympics

(Patria) - BiH judokas Larisa Cerić and Aleksandra Samardžić have qualified for the Olympic Games, which will be held in Paris this summer.

Cerić (33) and Samardžić (26) have achieved Olympic norms and have become the second and third representatives of BiH at the Olympic Games.

Besides them, only Lana Pudar has qualified for the Olympic Games so far.

- Judo certainly has the toughest qualifications for the Olympic Games; the qualifications last two years, and our athletes must prove themselves through competitions such as the Grand Prix, Grand Slam, Masters, European, and World Championships. These are the competitions where they collect points.

We were so dedicated to this, and as you can see, we are one of the few federations that managed to achieve two Olympic norms, which we are truly proud of.

I believe that our athletes will do everything to prepare as best as possible and that they will represent Bosnia and Herzegovina with dignity at the upcoming Olympic Games, said the honorary president of the Judo Federation of BiH, Branislav Crnogorac.

Judo is one of the few sports that has had a representative at the Olympic Games since the independence of BiH. Namely, from 1992 until today, BiH has had representatives in four sports at all editions of the Games - athletics, swimming, shooting, and judo.

- We are proud that we have had our representatives at every Olympic Games; this is just a sign that we don't just talk, but we work and prove ourselves with our results, which have been evident since our country's independence.

We achieve results continuously because we are dedicated, diligent, hardworking, and because we know how to work, added Crnogorac.

Larisa Cerić will represent our country for the third time at the world's biggest sporting event. In both her previous appearances, in 2016 in Rio and 2021 in Tokyo, she was stopped in the round of 16.

- These last three years have been a real rollercoaster of success, failure, victories, defeats, emotions, beautiful and ugly moments, but I can proudly say that I have met the norm for my third Olympic Games.

When I decided with my coaches Branislav Crnogorac and Arijan Jaha that we would try to qualify again and try to win the only medal I haven't won in my rich sports career, the deciding factor was that the Olympic Games are being held in Paris.

Back in 2009, I won a gold medal at the World Junior Championship in Paris, and in the same city, I won my first Grand Slam medal in 2015. I hope Paris will be lucky for me again this time, and I will succeed in achieving my greatest wish.

I am especially happy to have the best coaches, Brano and Arijana, who have dedicated their lives to judo and their athletes. Year after year, we bravely move forward as one team, regardless of all obstacles.

Thank you for the years of unconditional support. I am especially pleased that the Judo Federation of BiH will have two representatives this year; Aleksandra, congratulations on meeting the "A" norm for the Olympic Games. You deserve it, said Larisa Cerić, one of the best athletes of BiH of all time.

For Aleksandra Samardžić, who has won medals at world and European competitions so far, competing at the Olympic Games in Paris will be her debut, which is still a special feeling.

- It's official, I'm going to my first Olympic Games. These qualifications have been a long journey that ended in the best possible way. First of all, I want to thank my family, parents, and sisters.

There are no words to describe how grateful I am to God for having a family like ours and how grateful I am to you for loving and supporting me so much. You are my greatest strength and motivation, and without you, absolutely nothing would be possible.

Thank you to my closest companions on this journey, Anđela Samardžić, Toni Miletić, and Larisa Cerić, for every kilometer traveled, every training session together, and every supportive conversation when things were tough.

Maybe only Lara and I are going to Paris, but don't doubt that Anđela and Toni possess equal quality, and I am sure that Los Angeles is theirs.

Anyone who understands this sport knows that with a lot of effort and work, a little faith and luck, anything is possible there, said Samardžić.

The Olympic Games in Paris will be held from July 26 to August 11, and Cerić and Samardžić will compete in the judo tournament scheduled from July 27 to August 3.