One of the most recognizable names in Bosnia and Herzegovina. of sports in 2025 was Lana Pudar. The best BiH the swimmer continued to perform at the biggest world and European competitions, regularly placing in the finals of the 100 and 200 meter butterfly disciplines at major international competitions, as well as at World Aquatics series meetings. Her results once again confirmed that Bosnia and Herzegovina has a world-class athlete.
Pudar won a silver medal at the European Championships for swimmers under 23 years of age in the 200-meter breaststroke, and based on these results, she was chosen as the best female athlete of Bosnia and Herzegovina this year as well.
Elvedina Muzaferia also continued her performance in elite society, who also competed in World Cup races in alpine skiing in 2025, while she is also the best BiH. cyclist Lejla Njemčević achieved several significant results on the domestic and international scene.
In April, Njemčević won first place in the Elite Women’s category at the XCM “Narentas” 2025 national championship in cycling through Herzegovina’s landscapes, in May she achieved second place at the UCI HERO Marathon World Cup race on Elba (Italy), on a technically demanding marathon course of 65 kilometers, and she was the only representative of Bosnia and Herzegovina at the UCI World Championship in the marathon discipline in Valais (Switzerland), where she competed against one of the world’s best cyclists in of the most difficult trails in mountain biking.
The young tennis player Tea Kovačević defended her title at the prestigious Masters tournament in Monte Carlo in 2025 without losing a set. She won several ITF junior tournaments, including tournaments in Široki Brijeg, Timisoara and Krakow, while she crowned the season by reaching the finals of the ITF J200 tournament in Santa Cruz. A special moment was her debut for the senior national team of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Billie Jean King Cup, where she won in her first appearance and made a significant contribution to the survival of Bosnia and Herzegovina. selection in the Second E/A group of the competition.
In 2025, archer Zakira Pušina achieved one of the greatest successes in Bosnia and Herzegovina. archery in younger categories. At the European Cadet Championship in Tallinn, she won a silver medal in the U-16 air rifle discipline, with a new national record. During the season, she also won a gold medal at the ESC Challenge competition, confirming her status as one of the most promising shooters in Europe.
Valuable results during the year were also achieved by BiH. athletes in martial arts, such as karate players Anes Bostandžić and Emina Sipović, taekwondo player Džejla Makaš, taekwondo players Toni Miletić and Anđela Samardžić, who won medals at European cups and other international tournaments, while individuals won performances at European and world championships, further expanding the base of success of Bosnia and Herzegovina. sports.
Also, BH. The jiu-jitsu scene got its first representative who will fight among the world’s elite black belts. Mahir Zuka, a name that is mentioned more and more frequently at the biggest international competitions, achieved what no fighter from Bosnia and Herzegovina has been able to do so far – he earned the right to perform at the IBJJF World Championship in the adult category of black belts.
Tennis player Damir Džumhur was also excellent this year, whose good games brought him the 65th position on the strong ATP list. Among other things, his performance at the Australian Open stands out, where after a great fight he lost 3:2 in sets to the Australian tennis player Aleksandar Vukić. At the Masters in Cincinnati, he reached the second round, where he lost to the best player in the world, the Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, with a score of 2:1 in sets.
At the ATP tournament in Umag (ATP 250) in the 2nd round, he defeated tennis legend Stan Wawrinka and reached the quarterfinals, and was then eliminated in the semifinals of this tournament, which was also his best result of the season at the ATP level.
The football team of BiH participated in the qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, where they fought until the end for first place and direct placement in the World Cup. Sergej Barbarez’s men were only 12 minutes away from a great success with a 1:0 lead away from home against Austria, but the Austrians then scored an equalizing goal and, as it turned out, took first place in the group.
By winning second place in the qualification group, Bosnia and Herzegovina won the play-off, where in March 2026 they will first play away against Wales, and if they win in that duel, they would play the play-off final at “Bilina Polje” in Zenica against the better team from the duel between Northern Ireland and Italy.
The best basketball players of Bosnia and Herzegovina made the nation happy by reaching the eighth finals of the Eurobasket, where they were defeated by Poland with a score of 80:72. Previously, they recorded victories against Greece, Georgia and Cyprus in an extremely strong group of the European Championship. A member of this team, Edin Atić, was chosen as the best athlete of Bosnia and Herzegovina this year.
At the end of the championship, the basketball team of Bosnia and Herzegovina was officially classified as the 13th national team, which is the second best ranking in the history of Bosnia and Herzegovina. representation.
On the club level, football clubs from Bosnia and Herzegovina were once again present on the European stage. Zrinjski Mostar, Borac Banja Luka, Sarajevo and Željezničar represented BiH in the UEFA Champions League, European League and Conference League qualifiers.
Although for the rest of Bosnia and Herzegovina clubs, this European season was quite disappointing, the current champion of Bosnia and Herzegovina Zrinjski once again showed the most, which confirmed the continuity of good European performances with a new placement in the group stage of the Conference League. With a draw in the last round against Austrian Rapid, the Mostar club managed to win the elimination phase of this competition.
In club basketball, Igokea was also a standard participant in the ABA League during 2025, but also in the FIBA Champions League, where it achieved valuable victories against renowned European opponents. After 15 years, the basketball club Bosna returned to the regional ABA league, where it provides solid performances. “Students” also qualified for the European Cup, where they won the second stage of the competition.
Handball successes are primarily related to RK Izviđač Ljubuški, which was also the most successful this year in Bosnia and Herzegovina. representative in competitions under the auspices of the EHF, reaching the advanced stages of the European Cups. RK Borac Banja Luka also performed in Europe, as well as other BiH. clubs.
(Vijesti.ba / Fena)
