The final match between the University of Niš and the German Sport University Cologne marked the end of the handball tournament at the European Universities Games Zagreb-Rijeka 2016. The six-day competition ended with Niš winning the final by a 3-goal margin.
The stands were full of fans who cheered and sang during the match, and after the final whistle, the Serbian fans were overjoyed. Positive comments could be heard from all sides and everyone claimed they knew Serbia would win!
Despite being in top shape, Serbian Coach Saša Marković said that it was a difficult match for the players, which makes the gold medal even shinier: ‘There were a lot of good teams here and I’m glad that our University ended in the top. This victory means a lot, not just for university handball, but for handball in general in Serbia.’
The star of the match was the 25-year old goal keeper Aleksandar Tomić. He currently plays for Partizan in Belgrade, but he has also played for Planinka, Požarevac and Crvena Zvezda. ‘This is my first gold in my career and that is why this victory is so important to me. This is our first championship title and now we can go win everything else.’
Although the University of Niš has been participating in sports competitions for years, this is their biggest achievement. ‘We were here in 2011 for the European Championship. Back then, we ended in the fourth place. We lost against Spain in the match for the bronze medal, we lost against Rijeka in the semi-finals, so this gold medal is very important to us,’ said Tomić.
Although Tomić has a great career in Serbia, his participation in the European Universities Games will help him additionally in his professional development: ‘After the Games, I’m leaving to play in the Slovenian league, in the club Krka from Novo Mesto. I signed a three-year contract, but I’ll continue to play for the University until I graduate.’
The players from the University of Niš will remember Rijeka not just for the gold medal, but for the good times they had there. ‘We had a great time in Rijeka. The people are amazing, just like the city itself. The nightlife is great, and so are the beaches, the food, the dormitories; everything was brilliant. The organization was superb. I have no complaints,’ said Tomić.
