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December 2009
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Road to Toro: Olivera Jevtic chases her 6th medal |
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16.10.2007 |
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Five-times European Cross Country bronze medallist
Olivera Jevtić.
Photo by Picture Alliance.
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In one month and three weeks the biggest stars of European Cross Country
running will gather in the beautiful Spanish town of Toro to compete in
the 14th SPAR European Cross Country Championships.
On the countdown to this special event in the Cross Country calendar, we are
featuring a number of interviews with the stars of the competition and
stars of the past, this week we are speaking to Serbian long-distance runner, Olivera Jevtić - the lady with the most individual medals (5 x
Bronze) in the history of the competition.
"I think that in the end I would have
even gained the gold medal, if the course had just been 1km longer..."
Q.In the history of the
SPAR European Cross Country Championships you have achieved the most individual
medals (5 x bronze). What does that mean to you?
A. I am really happy to be so successful in Cross Country because I love this type of competition. Moreover, I am glad that I am able to
help my federation with these achievements, although I have to admit that I
don't exactly know what the key to my success in Cross Country is.
Q.You have already taken
part in nine editions of the European Cross Country Championships. Is there any competition that you particularly remember?
A. All the medals mean the same to me, but the
competition last year was definitely the most memorable one. I did not expect
anything. The day before the race I was sick and even considered cancelling the
event. Although I started with a fever I was able to run a good race on the long distance
course, which is definitely my preference. I think that in the end I would have
even gained the gold medal, if the course had just been 1km longer...
Q.Are you going to
be participate in Toro in December?
A. I definitely want to. It of course depends on
my training and physical health. I'll see if I can manage to run a marathon
beforehand, which is always a great preparation for it.
What is your goal for
the event?
Well, obviously I want to run a good race, and it's always an aim
to end up on the podium.
Definitely, but you have already finished
3rd five times already. Are you satisfied with your achievements
or somehow disappointed that you never obtained the gold medal?
You know, it's hard to tell that you are not
happy with a bronze medal, especially when you achieve five of them in one type
of competition. As an athlete, I guess it's normal to think that you could have
done better. Overall I am very happy with my achievements in cross country and,
who knows, maybe I can still do better than bronze at the Championships.
Your coach Slavko Kuzmanović said that Serbia will send a good team to Toro
this year. What do you expect to achieve as a team?
It's true; we are preparing well this year and
want to achieve a good result as a team. I hope that I can help my team to
achieve a good performance. As I have the most experience everybody kind of
expects me to lead the team. My coach says: You just have to follow Olivera and
we will all finish in third place (laughing).
How do you judge the
current situation in long-distance running in Europe
in general?
The development during the last years clearly
shows that we are improving and that Europe is
powerful. Watching the European Championships in Göteborg just underlines that
we are not only getting closer to the performance of the African athletes,
especially the Ethiopians who dominate the long-distance disciplines, but that we
are also catching up with the Russians.
At the moment you
are focusing on Marathons rather than on other long-distance running disciplines. What
made you change your preference and what are your goals?
The longer the course, the better I perform.
This is why I have been running more marathons recently. I really feel good
running the 42.195km and my goal is a good performance during the Olympic Games
next year in Beijing.
At 30 you are still one of Serbia's
best athletes. How do you feel about that and how long will you continue to
compete?
Well, it's an honour and I am glad that I can
still compete. I love to run - it's my life - I hope I can keep on doing it for
a long time. If I stay healthy I will probably run forever....
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