12.11.2022.
Farewell match of famous karateka Jovana Preković
Jovana Preković, a member of the Military Academy Sports Unit, an Olympic champion and a two time world and European karate champion, had her final match and bade farewell to her professional career in the packed Šumadija Sports and Recreation Centre in Aranđelovac tonight. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Miloš Vučević congratulated Jovana on her astonishing athletic success and thanked her for having represented her country and armed forces in the best possible way in karate arenas throughout the world.
After an exhibition match between two Tokyo Olympic medal winners – Jovana Preković and the Bulgarian national team member Ivet Goranova, the Serbian karateka stayed on the tatami to address the audience and thank numerous distinguished visitors for their attendance.
- Thank you to my family, my friends, my country and my city who have supported me all these years – said the karate champion.Besides Minister Vučević, Commandant of the Military Academy, Colonel Srđan Blagojević, PhD, who led the delegation from this higher education institution, also congratulated Jovana Preković.
Jovana Preković’s farewell match was preceded by several women’s exhibition judo, wrestling, taekwondo and karate matches. This amazing sports event was attended by numerous distinguished sports and political figures. Besides Minister Vučević, the event in the Šumadija Centre was attended by the Minister of Sport Zoran Gajić and president of the Olympic Committee of Serbia Božidar Maljković.
Jovana Preković joined the Military Academy Sports Unit in June 2019, and since then she has won a number of medals at local and international karate competitions, including the gold medals at the European and world championships and the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.