13.11.2014.
Best sportsmen of the Riverine Flotilla
For sports players – Lieutenant Igor Kovac, Lieutenant Jelica Jovanovic and Staff Sergeant Dalibor Andjelkovic, members of the Flotilla – doing sports is a pleasure, a challenge, and a way of life. Representing their units, the Armed Forces of Serbia and Serbia at national and international competitions gives them great honor.Lieutenant Igor Kovac, Deputy Company Commander showed interest for sports as a cadet, during his education at the Military Academy. He replaced trainings of martial arts, fighting, kung-foe and kick-boxing with the most difficult military discipline – track and field, at the recommendation of his professor.
- Military track and field is the most demanding and challenging sports discipline for me, one which demands most personal sacrifice and a Spartan life – Lieutenant Kovac said. He trains two to three hours daily. He goes to work to “Aleksandar Beric” barracks before the rest of his colleagues, at least an hour earlier, to do a part of his training. He has made a humble training room at the attic of his family house, where he also spends several hours per day. He has achieved noted results at sports championships of the Armed Forces of Serbia, and he has also participated at the Regional Military Championship in Slovenia, Vipava as an SAF competitor, where he won the third place in military track and field with his team.
The passion of Lieutenant Jelica Jovanovic, referent for civic-military cooperation, for athletic disciplines, particularly for middle-track running, was recognized by PE professor Stevan Grujic at the Military Academy. As a cadet, she has won the Academy Cross Race three times in a row, participated at relay half-marathon race in Novi Sad, and won second place at the “White Cross Race” in Belgrade. Arrival at the Riverine Flotilla separated Jelica from the athletic track for a short time. Although she travels from her hometown, Sabac to Novi Sad barracks “Aleksandar Beric” every day which takes away a lot of her time, she manages to run at least five kilometers a day. As a marathon runner and a member of the SAF Relay Team, she has won first place at this year’s Novi Sad half-marathon.
Achieving noted results in military track and field, Staff Sergeant Dalibor Andjelkovic, diver at the 93rd Diving Company, started training military track and field at the convincing of Captain Dubravko Maric, a well-known sportsman of our military. He was given great expert help by Professor Snezana Stancetic, referent for physical education at the First Brigade and athletes of the AC “Vojvodina” from Novi Sad.Igor, Jelica and Dalibor who, when the time allows it, train together, stress that doing sports benefits their execution of professional tasks that require exceptional physical readiness. Their colleagues at the unit have understanding for them, and occasional times spent at training camps that bring the best sportsmen of our military contribute to achieving great results. However, as they say, they often find it difficult to adjust their work obligations and trainings. Still, they agree that hard trainings and personal sacrifices pay off when they represent their military and country at the winner pedestal.
