The Most Famous
ATHLETES from Bosnia and Herzegovina
This page contains a list of the greatest Bosnian, Herzegovinian Athletes. The pantheon dataset contains 6,025 Athletes, 4 of which were born in Bosnia and Herzegovina. This makes Bosnia and Herzegovina the birth place of the 79th most number of Athletes behind Uruguay, and Sri Lanka.
Top 5
The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Bosnian, Herzegovinian Athletes of all time. This list of famous Bosnian, Herzegovinian Athletes is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.
1. Zoran Janković (1940 - 2002)
With an HPI of 46.25, Zoran Janković is the most famous Bosnian, Herzegovinian Athlete. Her biography has been translated into 17 different languages on wikipedia.
Zoran Janković (January 8, 1940 in Zenica, Kingdom of Yugoslavia – May 25, 2002 in Belgrade, FR Yugoslavia) was a Yugoslav water polo player notable for winning a silver medal at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, and a gold medal in Mexico City in 1968, with the Yugoslavian men's water polo team. In his career, he played for the Mladost from Zagreb and Partizan from Belgrade.
2. Jasna Kolar-Merdan (b. 1956)
With an HPI of 42.28, Jasna Kolar-Merdan is the 2nd most famous Bosnian, Herzegovinian Athlete. Her biography has been translated into 16 different languages.
Jasna Kolar-Merdan (born 19 October 1956 in Mostar) is a former Bosnian and Yugoslav handball player who competed in the 1980 Summer Olympics, in the 1984 Summer Olympics and in the 1992 Summer Olympics. In 1980 she won the silver medal with the Yugoslav team. She played all five matches and scored nine goals. Four years later she won the gold medal as member of the Yugoslav team. She played all five matches and scored 48 goals. She was the top scorer of the tournament. She was voted World Handball Player of 1990 by the International Handball Federation. In 1992 she was part of the Austrian team which finished fifth in the Olympic tournament. She played all four matches and scored 23 goals.
3. Amel Tuka (b. 1991)
With an HPI of 35.92, Amel Tuka is the 3rd most famous Bosnian, Herzegovinian Athlete. His biography has been translated into 33 different languages.
Amel Tuka (born 9 January 1991) is a Bosnian middle-distance runner who competes in the 800 metres. His achievements include a silver medal at the 2019 World Championships as well as a bronze medal at the 2015 World Championships. Tuka holds national records in the 400 m and 800 m disciplines. On 17 July 2015, with a time of 1:42.51, Tuka positioned himself as the world leader in the men's 800 metres for the year 2015. He subsequently earned his country's first medal in a major athletics championship with his third-place finish in the men's 800 metres at the 2015 World Championships in Athletics. He earned his second medal at the World Championships in 2019, finishing second in the men's 800 metres.
4. Hamza Alić (b. 1979)
With an HPI of 32.36, Hamza Alić is the 4th most famous Bosnian, Herzegovinian Athlete. His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.
Hamza Alić (born 20 January 1979) is a Bosnian shot putter. On 1 March 2013, at 2013 European Athletics Indoor Championships, he won a silver medal which he dedicated to all the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina to coincide with the Bosnia and Herzegovina Independence Day.His personal best throw is 21.07 m (69 ft 1+1⁄2 in), achieved in April 2008 in Podgorica.
5. Ana Šimić (b. 1990)
With an HPI of 25.12, Ana Šimić is the 5th most famous Bosnian, Herzegovinian Athlete. Her biography has been translated into 17 different languages.
Ana Šimić (born 5 May 1990) is a Croatian athlete who competes in the high jump. She competed at the 2012, 2016, and 2020 Summer Olympics. Her personal best is 1.99 m (6 ft 6 in), set in August 2014 at the European Athletics Championships in Zürich.
People
Pantheon has 5 people classified as Bosnian, Herzegovinian athletes born between 1940 and 1991. Of these 5, 4 (80.00%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Bosnian, Herzegovinian athletes include Jasna Kolar-Merdan, Amel Tuka, and Hamza Alić. The most famous deceased Bosnian, Herzegovinian athletes include Zoran Janković. As of April 2024, 1 new Bosnian, Herzegovinian athletes have been added to Pantheon including Jasna Kolar-Merdan.
Living Bosnian, Herzegovinian Athletes
Go to all Rankings
Jasna Kolar-Merdan
1956 - Present
HPI: 42.28
Amel Tuka
1991 - Present
HPI: 35.92
Hamza Alić
1979 - Present
HPI: 32.36
Ana Šimić
1990 - Present
HPI: 25.12
