Jovana Damjanović won a silver medal at the Mediterranean Games in Taranto, Montenegro’s fifth medal of the Games.
In the over-68kg category, Damjanović was defeated in the final by the more experienced Ana Rita Ferreira de Oliveira of Portugal. She opened the competition with a victory over Egypt’s Okila Menu before securing a place in the semi-final against Türkiye’s Fatma Cekić by judges’ decision. She advanced to the final with a victory over Kyriakou Kydonaki.
“I am satisfied with the result. I trained hard and prepared for the Mediterranean Games, where I am competing for the first time. I am giving everything I have and believe that I will be even better in the future,” Damjanović said.
Nemanja Mikulić, competing in the under-84kg category, was defeated 3:2 in his opening bout by Konstantinos Mastrogianis, while Nemanja Jovović lost 5:4 to Croatia’s Anđelo Kvesić.
“Sharks” to face Italy for gold — The Montenegro men’s water polo team will face hosts Italy in the Mediterranean Games final tomorrow at 13:30. The “Sharks” defeated Spain 15:14 in a dramatic semi-final finish. Spain had possession with 14 seconds remaining and a chance to equalise, but Dušan Matković blocked the shot to secure Montenegro’s place in the final.
“If it is not the third quarter, then it is the fourth. We played perfectly for three and a half quarters, everything worked as it should, particularly our defence, and then once again we made things difficult for ourselves. I told the players that this time we need to forget about it. Of course, we need to look at the mistakes, how they happen and why the drop occurred. I think we deserved to win even though the score was close. In any case, we have improved compared to the start of the tournament. The same applies to us and to the others. It is inhumane to play day after day, particularly modern water polo, which involves so much aggression and intensity, with constant pressing,” head coach Dejan Savić said.
Darko Đurović once again made several crucial saves to help secure the victory. “The most important thing is that we reached the final. We dominated for most of the match, and it is a shame that we allowed ourselves to be fighting to hold on in the final possession and let them reduce the difference to one goal. I would like to congratulate the team. We played very well for most of the match, and reaching the final is what matters most,” Đurović said.
Dukić sixth, Marković 16th in sailing — Milivoj Dukić was third overall ahead of the final race but ultimately finished the Mediterranean Games in sixth place in the overall standings. Ilija Marković finished 16th. Dukić, a four-time Olympian, finished 16th in the final ILCA 7 race, while Marković took fifth place.
PHOTO and VIDEO gallery – Team MNE @ Taranto 2026 – https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjD2GR8