University to Military to Olympics - Serbia & Montenegro Selects Team

Stegic and Stojic pair contenders
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Common threads run through the top rowers from Serbia & Montenegro. These threads remain despite the changes that have taken place in their nation. Formerly called Yugoslavia, Serbia & Montenegro has come through both political and border changes and future adjustments to the country's constitution are likely to change again with upcoming referendums.

Still, Serbia & Montenegro's small but strong group of rowers remain remarkably stable and a tight knit. The nation has qualified six rowers for Athens and their similarities cover more than just rowing.

First there is the connection to United States universities. All six athletes are currently or were formerly at United States universities. Nikola Stojic graduated from Brown University – one of the top universities for rowing in the US – in 1993 and Nenad Babovic also finished his studies in America. The remainder are still at US universities and will return to their respective schools after Athens.

The rowers' ties also include the compulsory military service that all men must serve before the age of 27. Currently all but one member of the team is in service. Stojic, the oldest member of the team, has already completed his.

The team are classified as top-level athletes so essentially their military service means that after two weeks of basic training, they just row. All of the rowers are part of the nation's navy unit and although they do not participate in the regular military service they are still "in uniform."  "The navy is helping us out," says Stegic. "It's publicity for them."

Serbia & Montenegro rowers doing military service
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The team began service last December in the city of Kotor, on the banks of the Adriatic Sea, where it was possible for them to continue to train. This is a regular training centre and since December they have been joined at different times by national teams from Ukraine, Slovenia and Hungary. Serbia and Montenegro's Under 23's and juniors have also used the venue. 

Serbia & Montenegro qualified two boats for Athens. Stojic and Mladen Stegic finished eighth at last year's World Championships making them Olympic qualifiers in the pair. The duo only came together just before the 2003 World Championships after Stojic's partner since 1998, Djordje Visacki, had to withdraw due to back problems. Since then Stojic and Stegic have made great improvements finishing second at the 2004 BearingPoint Rowing World Cups in Poznan and Munich.

"We're pretty satisfied with our progress. We're getting better and better," says Stojic.

The second boat to qualify, the lightweight men's four, earned their position by winning last month's Olympic qualification regatta in Lucerne. Veljko Urosevic, Nenad Babovic, Goran Nedeljkovic and Milos Tomic are all "in uniform" and call themselves the "military quartet."

The crews are currently at Lake Bled in Slovenia undergoing the final leg of their Olympic preparation. They will join Slovenia's Olympic squad, which includes defending Olympic Champions Iztok Cop and Luka Spik, to take advantage of the inter-crew competition.

Meanwhile, Serbia & Montenegro's reserve and 2000 Olympian, Visacki will race at the World Championships in a coxed pair thereby maintaining his form should he be needed to step in at the Olympics.