Ivana Španović facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Ivana Španović

Španović in 2022
Personal information
Birth name	Ivana Španović
Nationality	Serbian
Born	(1990-05-10) 10 May 1990 (age 35) Zrenjanin, SR Serbia, SFR Yugoslavia
Height	1.76 m
Weight	65 kg
Sport
Country	Serbia
Sport	Track and field
Event(s)	Long jump
Club	AK Vojvodina
Coached by	Goran Obradović
Achievements and titles
World finals	2013 Moscow Long jump, 3 Bronze 2015 Beijing Long jump, 3 Bronze 2017 London Long jump, 4th 2022 Eugene Long jump, 7th 2023 Budapest Long jump, 1 Gold
Olympic finals	2008 Beijing Long jump, 30th (q) 2012 London Long jump, 8th 2016 Rio de Janeiro Long jump, 3 Bronze 2020 Tokyo Long jump, 4th
Highest world ranking	1st (2023)
Personal best(s)	Long jump: 7.14 m (23 ft 4.97736221 in) NR (Budapest 2023) Indoors Long jump: 7.24 m (23 ft 8.91437008 in)i NR (Belgrade 2017)
Medal record Women's athletics Representing  Serbia Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 0 0 1 World Championships 1 0 2 World Indoor Championships 2 1 1 European Championships 2 1 0 European Indoor Championships 3 0 1 Total 8 2 5 Olympic Games Bronze 2016 Rio de Janeiro Long jump World Championships Gold 2023 Budapest Long jump Bronze 2013 Moscow Long jump Bronze 2015 Beijing Long jump World Indoor Championships Gold 2018 Birmingham Long jump Gold 2022 Belgrade Long jump Silver 2016 Portland Long jump Bronze 2014 Sopot Long jump European Championships Gold 2016 Amsterdam Long jump Gold 2022 Munich Long jump Silver 2014 Zürich Long jump European Indoor Championships Gold 2015 Prague Long jump Gold 2017 Belgrade Long jump Gold 2019 Glasgow Long jump Bronze 2023 Istanbul Long jump Diamond League 2016 Long jump 2017 Long jump 2021 Long jump 2022 Long jump 2023 Long jump Continental Cup Silver 2014 Marrakech Long jump Mediterranean Games Gold 2018 Tarragona Long jump Universiade Gold 2009 Belgrade Long jump European Athletics U23 Championships Silver 2011 Ostrava Long jump World Junior Championships Gold 2008 Bydgoszcz Long jump European Junior Championships Silver 2009 Novi Sad Long jump World Youth Championships Silver 2007 Ostrava Long jump European Youth Olympic Festival Silver 2007 Belgrade Long jump Bronze 2007 Belgrade 4x100 m relay

Ivana Španović (born May 10, 1990), also known as Ivana Vuleta, is a super talented long jumper from Serbia. She is one of the best female long jumpers of all time!

Ivana has won many big competitions. She was the World Champion in 2023. She also won the World Indoor Championships twice and the European Championships twice. Plus, she's a three-time European Indoor Champion and has won the Diamond League Trophy five times.

She made history for Serbia in track and field. In 2013, she was the first Serbian athlete to win a medal at the World Championships. In 2018, she won Serbia's first senior gold medal at the World Indoor Championships. Then, in 2023, she won Serbia's first senior gold medal at the World Outdoor Championship.

Ivana holds many Serbian records in long jump, both indoors and outdoors. She also holds national indoor records for the 60 meters and the pentathlon. Her coach is Goran Obradović, and she trains with the Vojvodina Athletic Club.

Ivana's Amazing Career

Ivana Španović (left) on the podium at the 2011 European U23 Championships.

Early Years and First Medals (2005–2012)

Ivana started winning medals early in her career. She earned gold at the 2008 World Junior Championships. She also won gold at the 2009 Summer Universiade. Because of her success, she was named Serbia's Best Young Athlete in 2008.

She also won silver medals at the 2007 World Youth Championships and the 2009 European Junior Championships. In 2011, she got another silver at the European U23 Championships. Ivana competed in the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games, making it to the finals in 2012.

Breaking Records and Winning Big (2013–2015)

In 2013, Ivana made a huge splash at the World Outdoor Championship. She won a bronze medal with a new national record of 6.82 meters. This was Serbia's first medal ever at an outdoor World Championship! The Olympic Committee of Serbia named her the best female athlete of the year.

In 2014, she continued her success. She won a bronze medal at the World Indoor Championships. She also earned silver medals at the European Outdoor Championship and the IAAF Continental Cup. She even improved her outdoor personal best to 6.88 meters.

The year 2015 was also fantastic. Ivana won her first senior gold medal, becoming the European Indoor Champion. She set a new national record of 6.98 meters. She then won her second bronze medal at the World Outdoor Championship, breaking her national record twice with jumps of 6.91m and 7.01m. For the second time, she was named Serbia's best female athlete of the year.

Olympic Medal and Diamond League Dominance (2016–2017)

In 2016, Ivana won a silver medal at the World Indoor Championships. She broke her national record twice, jumping 7.00m and then 7.07m. She then won gold at the European Outdoor Championship with a jump of 6.94m.

The biggest moment was at the 2016 Olympic Games. She won a bronze medal with a new national record of 7.08 meters. This was Serbia's first athletics medal at the Olympics in 60 years! Ivana also won the Diamond League long jump title, winning 5 out of 7 meetings. She even jumped 7.10m in Belgrade, a new national record.

In 2017, Ivana had an amazing win at the European Indoor Championships in Belgrade. She jumped 7.24 meters, breaking her national record twice. This jump was the third best indoor jump of all time! It was also the best performance in the European Indoor Championships since 1988. Later that year, she won the Diamond League long jump title for the second time.

World Title and Challenges (2018–2021)

In 2018, Ivana won her first world title at the World Indoor Championships in Birmingham with a jump of 6.96 meters. She became the first Serbian athlete to win a world senior title in athletics. She also won gold at the Mediterranean Games. Unfortunately, an injury forced her to withdraw from the European Championships final that year.

In 2019, Ivana recovered from her injury and won gold at the European Indoor Championships in Glasgow with 6.99 meters. She became a three-time European Indoor Champion. However, more injuries later that summer meant she had to miss the World Championships.

In 2020 and 2021, Ivana faced more injury challenges. Despite this, she still had success in the Diamond League in 2021, winning several events. At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (held in 2021), she jumped 7.00m in qualification, which would have won gold in the final. But she finished fourth with 6.91m. After the Olympics, she won the Diamond League final, making it her third Diamond League title.

Becoming a World Champion (2022–Present)

Ivana Vuleta at the 2022 World Indoor Championships in Belgrade.

In 2022, Ivana, now known as Ivana Vuleta, won her second World Indoor Championship title in Belgrade with a jump of 7.06 meters. This was her fourth medal in this event! After a seventh-place finish at the World Outdoor Championships, she had a brilliant end to the season. She won gold at the European Championships in Munich with a 7.06m jump, the best at the European Championships since 1998. She then won her fourth Diamond League title. The Olympic Committee of Serbia named her Sportswoman of the Year for the third time.

Her 2023 season was truly unforgettable. In March, she won a bronze medal at the European Indoor Championship with 6.91m. Then, in August, Ivana achieved her dream of becoming the outdoor World Champion! She won the gold medal at the World Outdoor Championship in Budapest with an amazing jump of 7.14 meters. This was Serbia's first gold medal at an outdoor World Championship. In September, she won her fifth Diamond League title. The Olympic Committee of Serbia named her Sportswoman of the Year for the fourth time.

In 2024, an Achilles tendon injury limited her competitions before the Paris Olympics. She competed there but did not qualify for the final.

Ivana has won 19 victories in the Diamond League circuit, which is a record for women's long jump. She has also set 31 national senior records for Serbia.

Ivana's Best Jumps

Outdoor Records

Indoor Records

Ivana's International Competitions

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Result
Representing  Serbia and Montenegro
2005	World Youth Championships	Marrakech, Morocco	16th (q)	Long jump	5.97 m
Representing  Serbia
2006	World Junior Championships	Beijing, China	7th	Long jump	6.23 m (wind: 0.0 m/s)
2007
	European Indoor Championships	Birmingham, United Kingdom	18th (q)	Long jump	6.18 m
	World Youth Championships	Ostrava, Czech Republic	2nd	Long jump	6.41 m (wind: +0.5 m/s)
	European Junior Championships	Hengelo, Netherlands	5	Long jump	6.22 m (wind: −0.2 m/s)
	European Youth Olympic Festival	Belgrade, Serbia	2nd	Long jump	6.20 m (wind: −0.1 m/s)
			3rd	4 × 100 m relay	46.85 s
2008
	World Junior Championships	Bydgoszcz, Poland	1st	Long jump	6.61 m (wind: +1.3 m/s)
	Olympic Games	Beijing, China	30th (q)	Long jump	6.30 m (wind: +1.8 m/s)
2009
	Universiade	Belgrade, Serbia	1st	Long jump	6.64 m (wind: 0.0 m/s)
	European Junior Championships	Novi Sad, Serbia	2nd	Long jump	6.71 m (wind: −0.1 m/s) NJR NR
2010
	European Championships	Barcelona, Spain	8th	Long jump	6.60 m (wind: −0.3 m/s)
2011	European U23 Championships	Ostrava, Czech Republic	2nd	Long jump	6.74 m w (wind: +3.2 m/s)
2012	European Championships	Helsinki, Finland	15th (q)	Long jump	6.33 m (wind: +0.1 m/s)
	Olympic Games	London, United Kingdom	10th	Long jump	6.35 m (wind: +0.9 m/s)
2013	European Indoor Championships	Gothenburg, Sweden	5th	Long jump	6.68 m
	World Championships	Moscow, Russia	3rd	Long jump	6.82 m NR (wind: +0.1 m/s)
2014	World Indoor Championships	Sopot, Poland	3rd	Long jump	6.77 m
	European Championships	Zürich, Switzerland	2nd	Long jump	6.81 m (wind: −1.6 m/s)
	Continental Cup	Marrakech, Morocco	2nd	Long jump	6.56 m (wind: −0.1 m/s)
2015	European Indoor Championships	Prague, Czech Republic	1st	Long jump	6.98 m NR
	World Championships	Beijing, China	3rd	Long jump	7.01 m NR (wind: +0.6 m/s)
2016	World Indoor Championships	Portland, OR, United States	2nd	Long jump	7.07 m NR
	European Championships	Amsterdam, Netherlands	1st	Long jump	6.94 m (wind: +0.9 m/s)
	Olympic Games	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil	3rd	Long jump	7.08 m NR (wind: +0.6 m/s)
2017	European Indoor Championships	Belgrade, Serbia	1st	Long jump	7.24 m NR
	World Championships	London, United Kingdom	4th	Long jump	6.96 m (wind: +0.1 m/s)
2018	World Indoor Championships	Birmingham, United Kingdom	1st	Long jump	6.96 m
	Mediterranean Games	Tarragona, Spain	1st	Long jump	7.04 m (wind: +2.2 m/s) w 6.99 m (wind: +1.8 m/s) GR
	European Championships	Berlin, Germany	1st (q)	Long jump	6.84 m1
2019	European Indoor Championships	Glasgow, United Kingdom	1st	Long jump	6.99 m
2021	Olympic Games	Tokyo, Japan	4th	Long jump	6.91 m (wind: −0.4 m/s)
2022	World Indoor Championships	Belgrade, Serbia	1st	Long jump	7.06 m
	World Championships	Eugene, OR, United States	7th	Long jump	6.84 m (wind: +0.6 m/s)
	European Championships	München, Germany	1st	Long jump	7.06 m (wind: +0.3 m/s)
2023	European Indoor Championships	Istanbul, Turkey	3rd	Long jump	6.91 m
	World Championships	Budapest, Hungary	1st	Long jump	7.14 m
2024	Olympic Games	Paris, France	16th (q)	Long jump	6.51 m

¹Did not start in the final

Circuit Wins and Titles

• Diamond League Overall long jump Diamond Race title: 2016
• Diamond League long jump champion: 2017, 2021, 2022, 2023
  • 2013 (1): Stockholm
  • 2014 (2): Eugene (=WL NR), Zürich
  • 2015 (2): Monaco, Zürich (NR)
  • 2016 (5): Shanghai (MR), Oslo, Stockholm, Lausanne, Paris
  • 2017 (2): Lausanne, Brussels
  • 2021 (4): Florence, Stockholm, Lausanne, Zürich
  • 2022 (1): Zürich
  • 2023 (2): Xiamen, Eugene

National Titles

• Serbian Athletics Championships
  • Long jump: 2006, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2019
• Serbian Indoor Athletics Championships
  • 60 metres: 2015
  • Long jump: 2013, 2015, 2021, 2022

Awards and Honors

• Order of Karađorđe's Star
• Order of Njegoš

About Ivana's Life

Ivana's parents are Ljubiša and Vesna Španović. Her mother was also an athlete. Ivana is known for her unique and fun personal style. Even when competing, she often has fashionable nails, sometimes in bright colors!

Ivana married Marko Vuleta, a fitness nutritionist, in September 2021. She officially took his last name, becoming Ivana Vuleta. They divorced in December 2023.

See also

In Spanish: Ivana Španović para niños