Bosnian judokas Larisa Cerić and Aleksandra Samardžić have qualified for the Olympic Games to be held in Paris this summer.

Cerić (33) and Samardžić (26) have achieved the Olympic norms, and alongside Lana Pudar, they have become the second and third representatives of Bosnia and Herzegovina at the Olympic Games.

For BiH Olympian Larisa Cerić, the Paris 2024 Olympic Games will be her third in a row, while Aleksandra Samardžić will make her debut at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, which officially open on July 26.

Read the statements of our top judokas below.

LARISA CERIĆ: “These last three years have been a real rollercoaster of successes, failures, 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 once again to qualify and try to win the only medal that I have not won in my rich sports career, the decisive factor was the fact that the Olympic Games are being held in Paris. In 2009, I won the gold medal at the World Junior Championships in Paris, and my first Grand Slam medal in the same city in 2015. I hope that Paris will be happy for me this time too and that I will be able to fulfill my greatest wish. I am especially happy that I have the best coaches, Bran and Arijan, who have dedicated their lives to the sport of judo and their athletes. Year after year, we bravely step forward as one team, regardless of all obstacles. Thank you for your years of unconditional support. I am especially happy that the Judo Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina will have two representatives this year. Aleksandra, congratulations on meeting the ‘A’ norm for the Olympic Games. You deserve it!”

ALEKSANDRA SAMARDŽIĆ: “It’s official, I’m going to my first Olympic Games. These qualifications were 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 that can describe how grateful I am to God that I have 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 covered, every training session together and conversation of support when it was difficult. Maybe only Lara and I are going to Paris, but do not doubt that Anđela and Toni possess equal quality and I am sure that Los Angeles is theirs. Anyone who understands this sport knows that anything is possible there with a lot of effort and work, a little faith, and luck! Thank you to my coaches for their great support and for providing the conditions for working in this, to put it mildly, challenging environment in which we work and function. I truly appreciate your tremendous efforts and I am sincerely grateful to Prof. Dr. Branislav Crnogorac and Arijana Jaha!”

Congratulations to Larisa and Aleksandra and the Judo Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and we look forward to their performance at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games!

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