The story of Njegos Tusevljak, who in May saved the life of a young mother and her toddler in the Swedish city of Boras, has been covered by European media so extensively that it turned the Sarajevo-born kickboxer into a hero.

But Tusevljak told N1 in a Wednesday interview that he didn’t think twice before saving the 26 year-old woman and her six month-old baby.  

That day Tusevljak was driving home from work and as he was crossing a bridge, he saw a woman jumping into a river with a baby in her arms.  

“I reacted within seconds, stepped out of my car and jumped after her. I think every other sane person would have done the same,” he said.  

He added that he acted impulsively and that the only thing on his mind was to save them.

But as Tusevljak was struggling to rescue lives, some 200 people watched.  

“I was surprised, it was difficult for me, I felt insulted. But I was trying not to think about it. What is important is that everything turned out fine,” he said, adding that only one young man came to help after everything was over.  

Tusevljak maintains contact with the woman he saved and he said he is to meet her in a TV studio for a programme when he returns to Sweden.

Because of his deed, Swedish police offered him a job.  

“I didn’t even know that a foreign national could be a police officer,” he said.  

But Tusevljak was already interviewed by the local police chief where he was told he has to first pass an application procedure and that he will surely be employed after passing the necessary training.  

“I never thought of becoming a police officer, although as a child I did wish to become an inspector,” he said.

Tusevljak said he does not see himself as a hero, but rather as a common person who tried to save someone’s life.

Currently, Tusevljak is a successful kickboxer in Sweden where he runs his own club. He commented on the difference in the approach Bosnia and Sweden have toward sports, saying that, as opposed to his country of origin, in Sweden the Government wants their athletes to be successful and funds their trips to competitions.

“We only need to try our best and be successful,” he said.

Tusevljak noted that he is supporting a large family in Banja Luka that is currently only making ends meet while trying to get themselves a roof over their head.

“I have myself, as a refugee, experienced bad living conditions,” he said.