Lejla Njemčević opens the season with second place at the World Cup in Italy

(Patria) - The best BiH cyclist and European vice-champion Lejla Njemčević won second place today at the World Cup - UCI HERO Marathon World Cup in Elba, Italy. The victory went to Dutch competitor and European champion Rosa Van Doorn, while the podium was completed by German Adelheid Morath in third place, also a European champion from 2023.

The course in Elba was technically demanding and raced at a very high pace, as it was the shortest race of this year's World Cup at 65 kilometers. This year's HERO marathon series consists of five World Cup races, while the main goal of the season for our Lejla is to win the general classification.

"An incredible course, and a very high intensity at the start of the race. I am extremely satisfied with my second place at the opening of the new season, considering this is my first marathon race of 2025. In the middle of the race, I was in sixth position, after which I increased the pace and crossed the finish line in second place. Our decision to start the season later will surely pay off, as we have a very busy schedule ahead with five World Cup races, the European and World Championships.

My goal is to win the general classification and return to the top of the World UCI ranking list," said Lejla Njemčević.

For our competitor, this was her 14th medal from World Cup races, and she is already writing history in world marathon cycling, and if she wins the World Marathon League this season, she would go down in history as the first cyclist in the world to do so three times. The next race for Lejla Njemčević is the World Cup in Andorra, which takes place on June 1st.