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A ngelina Topić is high jump world cham- pion. She returned from the junior world championships in Lima with gold around her neck, following misfortune with in- jury at July’s Paris Olympics. Despite be- ing only 19, experts say that she’s already outdone the great successes on the world stage of her father, Dragutin Topić, who is her coach and greatest pillar of support. When she wants to fly higher than the heights she reaches on athletics podiums, she gladly flies with Air Serbia... For starters, we congratulate you – world champion! You said that it’s tough to com- prehend such a success. How do you feel now? Have your impressions settled? “I am, of course, ecstatic about
have to focus on immediately. The first two will be as early as March, with the European Championships in the Netherlands, followed by the World Champi- onships in China.” You’re a world champion, but also a young woman. What are the greatest challenges for top athletes today? Is it possible to both “enjoy life” and achieve great success? “Sport demands sacrificing on many “normal” things. But I’m surrounded by people I love and who love me; who understand what it means to be suc- cessful in sport and everything that entails. I don’t personally find it difficult to focus on sport, and of course I also find time and space to socialise. All that’s required is good organisation.” You seem set to outdo the achievements of your as-yet-un- surpassed father, Dragutin
this championship title, and that’s for multiple reasons: firstly, I unit- ed all the titles in junior categories: I was U18 Junior European champion (2022), U20 Junior European cham- pion (2023) and finally U20 Junior World champion (2024); the second and even more important reason for my satisfaction is that, according to my staff, coach and medical team, it was miraculous that I won this ti- tle, just four weeks after breaking my fibula.” You and Novak Đoković have plenty in common: you both recover quickly thanks to miraculous willpower? “To be clear, that injury isn’t fully healed yet; that will only be the case in mid-October. However, despite be- ing weak, I wanted to attempt this accomplishment. And I succeeded! I’m grateful to Dr Đurović and phys- iotherapist Marković, who cared for me day and night, and who sped up the recovery process. I’m not quite sure how much my willpower influ- enced the healing of the bone, but in that struggle, I found motivation
Topić. Is he at least a little jeal- ous? Joking aside, he is your greatest pillar of support. Is that simultaneously an addi- tional challenge, a responsibil- ity, and sometimes also a bur- den? “It would be inappropriate to compare myself with my dad, as he was very successful. However, accord- ing to him, I have already surpassed him and he is ecstatic about that. I don’t believe that's really the case, but I’m definitely determined to be the best version of myself. Our relation- ship is very specific, filled with mu- tual trust and appreciation, I believe that’s actually the key to success!” Do you recall how it all started? When did you get interested in high jump and how did that look? “The first time I tried high jump
was when I was around eleven years old, and I found it very interesting. And I handled it straight away, be- cause it was a case of love at first sight. I like to compete against my- self. Individual sports suit me, as I’m not dependent on others and others don’t depend on me.” Do you like travelling? Do you enjoy flying by plane? “I like to travel, and that’s also why sport is beauti- ful; I've toured more than half the world, got acquaint- ed with various cultures and customs, although I’d like to have had a bit more spare time for that to have been in greater detail. I especially like to fly with our own Air Serbia, because I’ve had nothing but posi- tive experiences. I also use plane travel to rest men- tally, collect my thoughts and recharge my batteries for new challenges.”
when a glimmer of hope appeared that I would still be able to participate in the world championships. I had a clear goal from that moment on, and the gold is mine!” Has your sadness from Paris somewhat abated now? Are you already preparing to compete in the Los Angeles Olympics? “I can’t get over Paris just like that, as I was ready for the battle for medals, both mentally and physi- cally, and the coach timed my form precisely for that competition. That’s a long and serious process. For now, I’m not thinking about Los Angeles. There are many competitions over the next four years that I
104 | Atletika » Athletics
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