Met by cheers and a standing ovation from supporters, a professional Serbian basketball player has made an extraordinary comeback to the court — two years after losing her leg in a bus crash.
Wearing a prosthetic limb under black leggings, 21-year-old Natasa Kovacevic scored five points toward a win last week for Red Star Belgrade, the club with which she began her career, in a return to the game that she described as “sublime.”
Many had believed Kovacevic’s exemplary career was over when she was caught up in a deadly accident in September 2013 while traveling with her Hungarian club, Gyor. The club’s coach and general manager were killed, while seriously injured Kovacevic had to have her leg amputated. However, 26 months later, she has shown a level of resilience that even her rivals applaud.
Photo: AFP
“I am overwhelmed to be back, the feeling on the ground was sublime. I feel as if I never left, as if two years has not gone by,” a smiling Kovacevic said after her team beat southern Serbian side Student Nis by 78-47.
“I need to improve my fitness, if I’m honest I lost my breath a little, but I will work and it will come,” she said.
Spectators said that what she lacked through her disability, Kovacevic made up for with her experience in the game, despite her young age.
The coach of the opposing team, Zvonimir Stankovic, was no less admiring.
“What she has accomplished, her perseverance, deserve everyone’s respect. We should all teach our children about her example,” Stankovic told reporters.
“From the moment she entered the game, we treated her like any other player,” he added.
Natasa was emerging as one of the most talented Serbian players of her generation — primed to play for her basketball-mad country in the EuroBasket championship this year — when tragedy struck. At time she was just 19.
“From the beginning I have had one wish — to play basketball again. Deep inside myself I am convinced that this day will come,” she told local media after the accident.
Following the crash, the French Basketball Federation and its president Jean-Pierre Siutat, who had been close to the deceased Hungarian coach, Akos Fuzy, came to the young player’s rescue. Impressed by her will and courage, the federation helped to finance the special prosthetic leg that would allow her to return to competition.
Last year, the International Basketball Federation made Kovacevic an ambassador for young people and she gradually resumed training. She also created a foundation bearing her name that aims to help other young athletes.
“My comeback is very important to me, but I hope it shows other people that they can do anything they want if they have the will,” she said after her triumphant return.
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Revelations of positive doping tests for nearly two dozen Chinese swimmers that went unpunished sparked an intense flurry of accusations and legal threats between the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the head of the US drug-fighting organization, who has long been one of WADA’s fiercest critics. WADA on Saturday said it was turning to legal counsel to address a statement released by US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart, who said WADA and anti-doping authorities in China swept positive tests “under the carpet by failing to fairly and evenly follow the global rules that apply to everyone else in the world.” The
Taiwanese judoka Yang Yung-wei on Saturday won silver in the men’s under-60kg category at the Asian Judo Championships in Hong Kong. Nicknamed the “judo heartthrob” in Taiwan, the Olympic silver-medalist missed out on his first Asian Championships gold when he lost to Japanese judoka Taiki Nakamura in the finals. Yang defeated three opponents on Saturday to reach the final after receiving a bye through the round of 32. He first topped Laotian Soukphaxay Sithisane in the round of 16 with two seoi nage (over-the-shoulder throws), then ousted Indian Vijay Kumar Yadav in the quarter-finals with his signature ude hishigi sankaku gatame (triangular armlock). He
Rafael Nadal on Wednesday said the upcoming French Open would be the moment to “give everything and die” on the court after his comeback from injury in Barcelona was curtailed by Alex de Minaur. The 22-time Grand Slam title winner, back playing this week after three months on the sidelines, battled well, but eventually crumbled 7-5, 6-1 against the world No. 11 from Australia in the second round. Nadal, 37, who missed virtually all of last season, is hoping to compete at the French Open next month where he is the record 14-time champion. The Spaniard said the clash with De Minaur was