Elevate June 2023 | Air Serbia

Aleksandar Atanasijevic je reprezentativac Srbije, učesnik Olimpijskih igara u Londonu 2012. i dvostruki šampion Evrope (2011, 2019)

Aleksandar Atanasijevic is a Serbian volleyball international who competed in the 2012 London Olympics and is a two- time European champion (2011, 2019)

Aleksandar Atanasijević Attack on an Olympic medalor Serbia always has the highest expectations of its volleyball players. That’s what they got us accustomed to over previous years, and that’s why we always await new competitions impatiently. The first in the gruelling and challenging 2023 awaits us as early as June, when they compete in the Nations League

Posle Lige nacija pred odboj- kašima je vrhunac 2023. godine – Evropsko prvenstvo od 28. avgusta do 16. septembra u Izraelu, Italiji, Bugarskoj i Severnoj Makedoniji... – Ima još dosta do kontinental- nog šampionata i siguran sam da ćemo biti pravi kada bude bilo naj- važnije. Bitno je da pratimo instruk- cije stručnog štaba i selektora Kola- kovića i da radimo po planu. Srbija ima kontinuitet dobrih rezultata na evropskim prvenstvima, pa se na- dam da će tako da bude i ove godi- ne. Ponoviću, kao i do sada, bitno je da idemo redom. Da se vratimo na Olimpij- ske igre u Parizu. Odboj- kaša na najvećoj svetskoj smotri nije bilo još od Lon- dona i 2012. godine. Da li ćemo vas naredne gleda- ti u glavnom gradu Fran- cuske? – Igrao sam tada u Londonu i dobro znam šta svakom sportisti znače Olimpijske igre. Tačno je, du- go nas nema, ali ova generacija ima priliku da ponovo napadne medalju. Zato je važno da u Ligi nacija saku- pimo što više bodova i da se spremi- mo za oktobar, koji će da bude naj- važniji mesec u 2023. Tada se igraju kvalifikacije za Olimpijske igre i ve- rujem da ćemo se plasirati u Pariz. Svi to želimo kao krunu karijere. Pored reprezentacije Sr- bije, velike planove imate i na klupskoj sceni. Sezo- nu ste završili u poljskom klubu Skra Belhatov? – U ovom trenutku Srbija je na prvom mestu, ali naravno da imam i velike ambicije sa klu- bom. Videćemo šta će da bu- de, ima još dosta vremena za izbor prave sredine. Svakako, želim da sa klubom osvojim trofeje u svim takmičenjima u kojima ćemo igrati.

National team head coach Igor Kolaković is re- lying on tried and tested powerhouses for the Nations League, and one name that stands out is certainly Aleksandar Atanasi- jević. The Eagles’ Opposite doesn’t hide his happiness about the national team squad coming together again, or that he is now impatiently await- ing the first matches.

tem. Every victory is now important, because it brings you closer to qual- ifying for the 2024 Paris Olympics. That’s why it’s hard to calculate an- ything in advance, when it comes to final qualification. Our task is to give our all and play the best volleyball. I know we can do it. The most im- portant thing is for us to avoid inju- ries and go one weekend at a time.” After the Nations League, the volleyball national team is awaited by the top competition in 2023: the European Championship, to be held from 28 th August to 16 th September in Israel, Italy, Bulgaria and North Macedonia... “The continental championship is still a long way off and I’m sure we’ll be the real deal when it matters the most. It is important for us to fol- low the instructions of the coaching staff and head coach Kolaković and to work according to the plan. Ser- bia has continuity in terms of good results at the European champion- ships, and I hope it will be the same again this year. I will repeat, as has been the case to date, it is impor- tant that we take one step at a time.” Returning to the Par- is Olympics, our volleyball team hasn’t competed at the

“We all missed being to- gether and wanted to hang out together, to train, to play... This season’s Nations

League is a specific competition, given the significance of the new scoring sys-

Videli smo vas ne- davno u „Areni“, na meču košarka- ša Partizana i Reala u četvrtfinalu Evro- lige?

Tekst / Words: Aleksandar Pjevac

Fotografije / Photography: Aleksandar Dimitrijević

Volleyball » Odbojka | 107

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