Žan Kovačič, Slovenia

Martial arts: kickboxing, taekwondo

Our sports scholarship recipient Žan Kovačič has successfully completed another strong season in kickboxing and taekwondo. At the WAKO Youth European Championship in Jesolo, he won the silver medal after four victories and became European runner-up. At the SLO Open in Zagorje, he took first place in both the junior and senior -69 kg categories. In April, he successfully defended his national championship titles in kick light and light contact in Gornja Radgona. In March, he also finished third in patterns at an international taekwondo competition in the Czech Republic. In recognition of his achievements in 2025, he received an award from the Municipality of Žalec. The season included numerous training sessions, high-altitude training camps and international competitions, where he once again demonstrated his determination to keep improving.

Žan, congratulations on your excellent results. We wish you every success in the new competitive season.

Naja Pinterič, Slovenia

Canoe/kayak

Sports scholarship recipient Naja Pinterič has taken an important step into senior competition this season. At the selection races, she earned a place on the senior national team in kayak cross and for the under-23 national team in canoe slalom and kayak cross. She also competed at World Cup events in Tacen, Prague and Augsburg, gaining valuable experience alongside the world’s best competitors.

The highlight of the season was the ICF Junior and U23 Canoe Slalom World Championships in Krakow, where she finished tenth in kayak cross in the under-23 category and achieved Slovenia’s best result on the final day of the championships.

Naja, congratulations on finishing among the world’s top ten. We wish you every success in your future sporting challenges.

Julija Hitrec, Slovenia

Cross-country skiing

Our sports scholarship recipient Julija Hitrec has completed a successful season in cross-country skiing and roller skiing. She concluded the winter season by finishing first in the overall standings of the Argeta Junior Cup 2025/2026. She won the races in Sappada and Bad Kleinkirchheim and also reached the podium at the 30-kilometre Pokljuka Marathon. During the summer season, she finished 15th in the 200-metre sprint at the Roller Skiing World Championships in Rome. At the national championships, she finished third in the uphill race in the classic technique. Alongside numerous training sessions, training camps and competitions, she successfully completed her fourth year of secondary school and passed her school-leaving examinations.

Julija, congratulations on your excellent results. We wish you every success in your future sporting and academic pursuits.

Nik Sovinc, Slovenia

Alpine skiing

Hermi sports scholarship recipient and member of the Slovenian junior national team Nik Sovinc has successfully completed his alpine skiing season. At the junior national championships, he finished third in the super-G, while at an international FIS race at Jahorina he claimed second place in the giant slalom. The season included numerous training sessions and competitions in Slovenia, Austria, Italy, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Alongside his demanding sporting schedule, he also managed the commitments of his final year of secondary school and sat his school-leaving examinations.

Nik, congratulations on your excellent results. We wish you every success in the new competitive season.

Sebastjan Turinek, Slovenia

Athletics: running

Hermi sports scholarship recipient Sebastjan Turinek began the season by becoming the senior Slovenian Cup champion in the short cross-country race. In January, he finished as the national under-23 runner-up in the 800 metres at the Slovenian Indoor Championships. His strong results also earned him a call-up to the Slovenian senior national team and an appearance in Belgrade. After the indoor season, he had to adjust his training programme and miss part of the competition schedule because of an injury. He gradually returned to more demanding training. Alongside his sporting commitments, he is successfully studying medicine and passed all his examinations at the first sitting.

Sebastjan, congratulations on your perseverance and achievements. We wish you every success in your studies and in the continuation of your sporting career.

Lena Lupša, Slovenia

Ski touring and trail running

Hermi sports scholarship recipient Lena Lupša continues to build her sporting career in ski mountaineering and trail running. As a member of the international Compressport Youth Trail Team, she attended a five-day training camp in Alicante, Spain, at the end of March. In May, she competed in the 12-kilometre mozart Lake Trail, part of the mozart 100 by UTMB event. With a time of 54:01, she finished first in the women’s category and third overall.

Lena, congratulations on your excellent result. We wish you every success in your future sporting challenges.

Tina Vrhovnik, Slovenia

Olympic cross-country (mountain biking – cross-country, XCO)

Hermi sports scholarship recipient Tina Vrhovnik has taken an important step forward in cross-country Olympic (XCO) this season. She began the season with two second-place finishes at international races in Cyprus. In April, she finished 11th at a European Cup race in Slovakia. She also placed sixth in a strong international field in Premantura, where she was the highest-ranked Slovenian rider.

In May, she made her World Cup debut and recorded several top-ten finishes at international competitions. Despite an injury, a demanding competition schedule and her academic commitments, she remained determined and continued working towards her goals.

Tina, congratulations on your excellent results, perseverance and your World Cup debut. We wish you every success in your future sporting and academic challenges.

Viktoria Varga, Croatia

Martial arts: taekwondo

Hermi sports scholarship recipient Viktoria Varga has successfully completed a strong competitive period and taken an important step towards senior competition. In the junior women’s -46 kg category, she ranked among the top ten athletes in Europe. She won a silver medal at the Croatia Open and gold at the Bosnia and Herzegovina Open in Sarajevo, before concluding the year by representing Croatia at the European Under-21 Championships in Pristina. In 2026, she added two second-place finishes, passed her examination for a 2nd Dan black belt and began competing in the senior category. Alongside her intensive training schedule, she completed the second year of secondary school with excellent results.

Viktoria, congratulations on your sporting and academic achievements. We wish you every success in the future.

Tarik Zuhrić, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Alpine skiing

Hermi sports scholarship recipient Tarik Zuhrić has successfully completed his alpine skiing season. At Bjelašnica, he finished as the junior national runner-up in slalom. In March, he recorded the best FIS point scores of his career in slalom and giant slalom in Turkey and met the qualifying standard for the Bosnia and Herzegovina B national team. In April, he finished second at the 1st Asian Indoor Alpine Ski Championships (Junior) 2026 in Shenzhen, China. The season also included numerous training camps in Austria, Italy, Turkey and France. After the season, he began his summer conditioning programme in preparation for the new competitive season.

Tarik, congratulations on your excellent results. We wish you every success in the new competitive season.