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14 April 2007
Ana – the heroine of the day
Ana Dejanović is the winner of the 14th Children’s
“Smoki” Marathon held at the Belgrade Zoo
The 14th Children’s “Smoki” Marathon was marked by the sun,
the new flavoured “smokis” and, above anything else, Ana Dejanović, the
first girl to win in the history of this traditional race.
Following the qualification the number one favourite for victory in the
final was Andrej Ilić from kindergarten “Sveta Petka”, the only
competitor to run today under the magic 40 second mark. With a result of
39 seconds he had an entire second advantage over Nikola Đorić, Bojan
Bojić and Branislav Đurišić, the winners of the other qualification
groups who had run the 230 metre long course around the elephant’s cage
of the Belgrade Zoo in exactly 40 seconds. Ana Dejanović was not among
the favourites, as the girls have, so far, failed to outrun the boys,
but there’s a first time for everything.
Speed is vital in a race, as are concentration and good tactics, and
Andrej failed to cope with the burden of a favourite.
At the start of the final race, he tripped and fell and lost the leading
position, but he did not give up. He overcame nine rivals and finished
third, after Stefan Vujović, who ran like a fawn, which is the name of
his kindergarten, and Ana Dejanović. Ana outdid herself in the final.
She bettered her record by two seconds, and with 40 seconds equalled the
second result of the day and became the winner of the Children’s “Smoki”
Marathon, the fastest preschooler in competition of 18.000 of her peers…
And then Ana Dejanović, Stefan Vujović and Andrej Ilić were showered
with prizes. Sporting prizes – medals, diplomas, cups and laurel wreaths
were presented to the fastest little Belgraders by Ljiljana Lučić, City
Secretary for Social and Child Care, Goran Kreclović, City Secretary for
Sports and Youth, and Andreja Mladenović, member of City Council in
charge of sports, while the other prizes, equally loved by the kids, by
Olga Baletić on behalf of “Soko Štark”, Jadranka Milanović on behalf of
UNICEF and Julijana Rajčević on behalf of “S&L” Company.
- Every time someone wins the event deserves a straight “ten”, but when
everybody wins, as it is the case with the Children’s “Smoki” Marathon,
the grade is “ten plus”. When we witness such joy, when a girls triumphs
for the first time, then it is something one wants to happen again. That
is simultaneously the best opportunity to save our children for the most
beautiful things that may happen to them, and sport is one of those
things, - said Goran Kreclović, City Secretary for Sports.
The winners of the qualification races and the finalists of the 14th
Children’s “Smoki” Marathon are: Goran Isailović (“Pačija škola”) 41
seconds, Stefan Vujović (“Srna”) 42, Andrej Ilić (“Sveta Petka”) 39, Ana
Dejanović (“Zvončić”) 42, Milica Damljanović (“Patuljak”) 43, Nikola
Đorić (“Duga”) 40, Bojan Bojić (“Boško Buha”) 40, Teodora Mitrović (“Vesna”)
45, Vasilije Milićević (“Čika Andra II”) 41, Branislav Đurišić (“Veseljko”)
41, Veljko Aleksić (“Maslačak”) 40 and Veljko Stojković (“Lane”) 42.
Živko Baljkas
Photo: Danijel Grujic
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150 fastest kids at the Belgrade Zoo
18.000 young Belgraders took part in the qualifications for the 14th
Children’s “Smoki” Marathon.
On Saturday, 14 April, the Belgrade Zoo and its 230 metre long course
winding about the elephant’s cage will welcome 150 fastest young
Belgraders, chosen amongst 18.000 participants competing in the
qualification races held in Belgrade’s kindergartens.
The 14th Children’s “Smoki” Marathon is the third one to
carry the name “Smoki”, after the favourite children’s snack, the
product of company “Soko Štark”, a long-standing partner of The Belgrade
Marathon Ltd. The Children’s Marathon will start at 10:45 am with a
solemn promise sworn by the kids, who, surely, will not be
Pheidippideses, but who are well determined to run the course around the
elephant’s cage and continue to familiarise themselves with the skills
and secrets of sport in the project “Let’s Start with Sports”.
- We hope that Children’s “Smoki” Marathon and its last year’s
follow-up, project “Let’s Start with Sports”, which is supported by the
EAA, Belgrade City Council with its Secretariat for Social and Child
Care, the Directorate for Sports of the Republic of Serbia, the Athletic
Federation of Serbia and the Olympic Committee of Serbia, will help our
little runners become successful not only in athletics, but also in
other sports. In this we have the aid of not only the City Secretariat
for Social and Child Care, but also the Belgrade Zoo, UNICEF, title
sponsor “Soko Štark”, children’s magazine “Maštarije” and S&L Company, -
said Dejan Nikolić, director of the Belgrade Marathon, at the press
conference held at the theatre “Slavija”.
Ljiljana Lučić, City Secretary for Social and Child Care, pointed out
that the preparations and qualifications for the Children’s “Smoki”
Marathon form but a part of physical activities which take place in the
kindergartens:
- A great attention which we direct towards physical education of
children in pre-school institutions during the qualifications for the
Children’s Marathon finals in the Belgrade Zoo results in a great
sporting day. This year almost 18.000 children took part in the
qualifications, and 150 of the fittest will participate in the
Children’s “Smoki” Marathon on Saturday and continue to practise sport
under the vigilant eye of the experts in the project “Let’s Start with
Sport”.
Marina Savić, on behalf of “Soko Štark”, announced that this year in the
Zoo “Smokić” will run the marathon together with the children, and that
the kids will have the opportunity to taste new flavours of “smoki”:
- Company “Soko Štark” promotes healthy and active way of life,
especially amongst children. They are the best promoters of marathon and
we believe that among them sports talents are hiding, possibly even the
future winners of the big marathon. That is why we continue our
cooperation with The Belgrade Marathon Ltd. and the project “Let’s Start
with Sports”.
The same goes for UNICEF on whose behalf Jadranka Milanović reminded the
journalists of the long-term cooperation between UNICEF and the Belgrade
Marathon, which, thanks to the basketball player and coach Aleksandar
Đorđević, UNICEF Ambassador and The Belgrade Marathon Ltd.
Administrative Board Chairman, has been taken a step further:
- UNICEF and the Belgrade Marathon have been cooperating for over a
decade, having grasped the vital role of sports in the development of
children, and for two years are promoting the project “School Without
Violence” and hopefully we will reach the finish line together, it being
the desire to include in this project not only all of Serbia’s
elementary schools, but its kindergartens as well…
Of course, Vuk Bojović, the host of the Belgrade Zoo, the loveliest
children’s racing course in Belgrade, invited the kids to beat “Darius”
together and “Pheidippides” once again to bring the news of great
victory of the Belgrade Marathon…
The kids who have led the guests at the press conference together with
the actors from Thermopylae to the Belgrade Zoo tasted the products of
“Soko Štark”, thus preparing themselves for the Children’s “Smoki”
Marathon on Saturday.
The qualifications will start at 11 am (start of the last race is at
noon), and the final will start at 12:45 pm. The course record is 36
seconds, and the medal ceremony is scheduled for 12:45 pm. |
