At the recently concluded World Taekwondo Championship under the age of 21, Benjamin Husić and Ada Avdagić wrote the historic success of Bosnian Taekwondo by winning bronze medals. The two excellent wins at the World Championship held in Kenya are the greatest success of this sport in our country, given that Bosnia and Herzegovina has not had a world medal so far, announced the FBiH Taekwondo Federation.
– Taekwondo is in the top of BiH for the last year. sports, which is confirmed by all the sportsman of the year elections in our country during that period. From a wider circle of young athletes, we already see 4-5 of them, along with Nedžad Husić, who will be in serious plans for the Olympic Games in Los Angeles, and among them are certainly Ada and Benjamin – said the president of TKDS FBiH Samir Šarić, emphasizing that after 50,000 KM this year, he has already prepared 100,000 KM, which will be available to athletes from January 1, 2026, when the new competition season begins.
Although the European Grand Prix for cadets and juniors ended last weekend in Sarajevo, which will be hosted by the capital of our country for the next two years, Šarić revealed that next year TKDS FBiH will be the technical organizer of another competition.
– Three days ago, a meeting of the European Taekwondo Union’s Board of Directors was held in Sarajevo, where we were entrusted with the organization of the European Club Championship – emphasized Šarić, and then gave the floor to the creators of the greatest success in Bosnia and Herzegovina. taekwondo.
In the category up to 53 kilograms, Ada Avdagić was free in the first round, and in the next round she convincingly triumphed against the favored Korean Siwoo Kim with 2:0 (13:1, 22:14). By winning against Erika Karabeleva from Bulgaria in the quarter-finals with a score of 2:0 (18:6, 13:10), she secured her place among the four best competitors and a historic medal for Bosnia and Herzegovina.
– At the moment when I realized that I secured a medal, I started to cry, I was overwhelmed with emotions, and so was my coach. That whole day was very emotional – said Avdagić, who was defeated by Iranian Mobina Nematzadeh in the fight for the final.
Although he was not accompanied by his father and coach Haris Husić at the WC, Benjamin Husić showed why he is one of the most promising athletes in our country.
– I have only been a senior since this year. That’s why this medal has a special meaning for me, and especially because of the fact that at the age of 18 I was one of the youngest participants in this World Championship – said Benjamin Husić, emphasizing that the fights were very intense from start to finish.
– It didn’t stop, from start to finish. In the end, injuries contributed to that defeat in the semi-finals, but third place in the world certainly meets my expectations and what I hoped for before leaving for Kenya – added Bronzini from the WC in the -74 kilogram category.
Benjamin’s father and trainer admitted that it was not easy to watch everything on the broadcast during the breaks between fights at the European Grand Prix.
– I couldn’t go to the Under-21 WC because I used my days off for the World Championship in China. We all have our jobs, we don’t do this professionally. It’s not easy when you’re both a father and a coach, and when you’re just a coach. Especially everything is a little harder to bear if you are not at the competition – said Husić Sr., and added that the achieved results will greatly facilitate the path to the Grand Prix program for Benjamin and Ada, which is extremely important for everyone who aspires to the Olympic Games in 2028.
By the way, Husić was replaced on the bench by Gzim Nući, who together with Ibrahim Kolja formed the coaching tandem of our team, whose third member besides Ada Avdagić and Benjamin Husić was Muhamed Đonko, who managed to pass the first round, unfortunately not the next round where he was defeated by the representatives of Tunisia.
– The competition was extremely strong. There were world and Olympic medalists there, and I think this result of Ada and Benja deserves great respect. I must say that the fact that Benjamin’s medal certainly had a positive effect on us, and I believe that these young athletes are ready to achieve even better results in the future – said Ibrahim Kolja, Ada Avdagić’s coach, at the end of the press conference held at the Walter Hotel on the occasion of the medals won at the WC for seniors under 21 years of age.
In the coming days, he expects his bronze medal from the World Cup to appear at the U21 European Championship, which is hosted by Kosovo.
(Vijesti.ba/Fena)
