The player of CB Lanzarote Puerto del Carmen, Sladjana Topic, has been called up by the national team of Bosnia Herzegovina for a concentration of the national team that will take place from March 15 in her native country, in Lukavac, near Tuzla.
This is the first time that Topic has been called up with her national team and she will attend at 38 years old, in what will be a very special moment for her since the first day of team concentration will also celebrate her birthday.
For Topic “it is a pride to be called up, especially knowing that I am not so young anymore. All this is like a dream because the national team of Bosnia, after thirteen years of disappearance, is back to form, until not long ago, it was a highly improbable thing. I want to thank all the people who have placed their trust in me. And I also owe thanks to CB Lanzarote Puerto del Carmen because last year I was going to quit handball and I was tempted by this beautiful experience on the island of Lanzarote. I only hope that the club's objective is achieved so that this experience is complete”.
This weekend the Tias team plays at Bera Bera's home in a postponed match and on Sunday, after the match, “I am leaving for my country of origin for a week's concentration. There are eight training sessions planned, for the moment twenty-six players will attend. There will also be another concentration for another group of girls due to the COVID-19 protocol”.
Topic has expressed her gratitude to the coach, Radan Rovcanin, and to the sports director, Elmir Grabcanovic, who has done everything possible to make this happen, and clarifies that “you should always, always, always pursue your dreams. Improbable things can always happen and you have to take advantage of the occasion when they arise. When I look back and see all the beautiful things that handball gave me, all the people I have met along the way, all the beautiful and less beautiful experiences I have lived... All that has shaped the person I am today and I am eternally grateful for having had that luck. For the moment everything seems unreal to me, I don't think I'm going to believe it until I'm there and I will feel the pride, yes, and a lot of excitement, for sharing the national team jersey with my teammates”.
Topic experienced the moment of the call-up in a very special way, “until the call-up came out very few people knew about it. I told the closest people, but also Miguel Ángel Lemes, Toño and the president, Félix Montelongo. Everyone is very happy for me. My boyfriend, being a handball coach, knows very well what it means for a player to wear the national team jersey. It will soon be two years since I saw my family, all last year because of the Covid issue, I couldn't travel to my country so they will be happy to see me even from afar because we will surely be in a health bubble because of the Covid issue”.