Hard work pays off, European junior champion, Bosnian best female junior swimmer, Lana Pudar, told N1 as she returned from international competition in Rome, where she took three medals – two silver, one gold.

A crowd welcomed her in the southern city of Mostar, her home city, on Monday.

What comes next for the young athlete is the Olympic Games in Tokyo. She unveiled what are her expectations.

“Preparations for the Olympic Games started long ago, immediately after I passed the qualifying mark. This competition was like a final rehearsal. I want to reach the semi-finals and I will try to represent Bosnia and Herzegovina in the best possible way,” said 15-year-old Pudar.

Bosnian best junior female swimmer qualified for the Tokyo 2021 Olympics in March this year when she set a new national record in the 100 m butterfly swimming discipline.

A few months later, she made another brilliant performance at the Junior Swimming Championship. And she made history for Bosnian competitive swimming. With the first silver medal, she won last Thursday, Pudar lowered the national record in the 200 m butterfly event to 2:09:59.

Two days later she landed another silver medal in the 50 m butterfly discipline, improving her own time to 26.29.

Later the same day, Pudar won gold in the 100 m butterfly race, becoming European junior champion in this discipline.

Only weeks before the Olympics kicks off, Pudar needs to leave her home city for the final preparations. Mostar lacks an Olympic-size swimming pool where she could train.

“It is very important to build the pool. Mostar has a 25-metre pool but not the 50-metre pool, and that is a big lack. I have to go to Sarajevo and Banja Luka to get ready. Because of that, I am separated from my family and school,” adds Pudar.