Ivana Španović

Ivana Španović (Ивана Шпановић, ; formerly Vuleta, Вулета; born 10 May 1990) is a Serbian long jumper, the 2023 World champion, a two-time World indoor champion, a two-time European champion, a three-time European indoor champion and a five-time Diamond League Trophy Winner. Considering her achievements and longevity, Ivana Španović is regarded as one of the greatest female long jumpers of all time, with her indoor 7.24m jump ranked 3rd in all-time records.

In 2013, Španović became the first Serbian track and field athlete to win a medal at the World Championships in Athletics. In 2018, she became the first Serbian track and field athlete to win a senior gold medal at the World Indoor Championships in Athletics. In 2023, she became the first Serbian track and field athlete to win a senior gold medal at the World Outdoor Championship in Athletics. During her 15 years long career, she successfully claimed both outdoor and indoor European and World titles. She is the Serbian record holder in the long jump, indoors and outdoors, and also she is the national indoor record holder in the 60 metres and in the pentathlon. Her coach is Goran Obradović and she is a member of the Vojvodina Athletic Club, based in Novi Sad.

2005–2012
Španović earned gold medals at the 2008 World Junior Championships and the 2009 Summer Universiade. She was selected as Serbia's Best Young Athlete of 2008. She also won silver medals at the 2007 World Youth Championships, the 2009 European Junior Championships and the 2011 European U23 Championships.

Španović participated in the qualifying round at the 2008 Olympic Games, and was a finalist at the 2012 Olympic Games.

2013
In 2013, she started at the European Indoor Championship when she was ranked fifth. At the World outdoor championship she had achieved the best result in her career by then, bronze medal with the new national record 6.82 meters, getting the first medal for Serbia in an outdoor World Championships. The Olympic Committee of Serbia therefore declared her the best female athlete of the year.

2014–2015
In 2014, she won the bronze medal at the World Indoor Championships and silver medals at the European Outdoor championship and IAAF Continental Cup in Marrakesh. She also improved her outdoor personal best on 6.88 meters in the Diamond League meet in Eugene. Španović was second in long jump at 2014 Diamond League race.

In 2015, she won her first gold medal as a senior athlete becoming European indoor champion with new national record 6.98 meters. She won the second bronze medal at the World outdoor championship, improving her national record twice, both in qualification (6.91) and the final (7.01 got twice). Španović was second in long jump at 2015 Diamond League race. The Olympic Committee of Serbia therefore declared her the best female athlete of the year for the second time.

2016
During the indoor season, Španović won the silver medal at the World Indoor Championships improving her national record twice, 7.00 (at first round) and 7.07 (at fifth round). She was ahead for all the competition but she lost the gold medal because Reese had a fantastic 7.22 at the final round. During the outdoor, first Španović won the gold at the European Outdoor championship with 6.94, then she won the bronze medal at the Olympic Games with 7.08, new national record. Španović won for Serbia a medal in athletics at Olympic Games 60 years after the last medal. Španović clearly won 2016 Diamond League race in long jump. She won 5 of 7 meetings (a new record for Diamond League in long jump because before her none won more than 4 meetings in a year) and she was second in the other two ones. At the end of her long season, Španović improved her national record to 7.10 in a street meeting in front of her home fans in Belgrade on September 11. This manifestation was held to promote 2017 European Indoor Championships in Belgrade.

2017
In 2017, she had an impressive win at European indoor championships in Belgrade. During the qualification she achieved the best ever indoor mark in a qualification round with 7.03. In the final she broke her national records twice, 7.16 (at second round) and 7.24 (at third round). So, she defended her gold medal got in 2015. Her new national record, 7.24, put her as the third all-time indoor performers, and result is the second best ever jumped in the European Indoor Championships (after Drechsler's 7.30 in 1988) and the best performance got in the latest 18 years, since Chistyakova has jumped 7.30 on 28.01.1989. During the outdoor season, she had injuries so before the World outdoor championships she competed only in two Diamond League meetings. In the 2017 World outdoor championships, she led in the first part of the competition, but was 4th before her last attempt. With her final jump, Spanović seemed to clear the 7.02 mark of the leading, Brittney Reese, and tensely awaited the measurement but was awarded only 6.91. The Serbian team appealed with the slow motion showing that the indentation in the sand nearest to the board was made by the flapping bib number on her back. Eventually, the appeal was dismissed and she was ranked 4th with 6.96, behind Reese’s 7.02, Klishina’s 7.00 and Bartoletta’s 6.97. After World Championships Spanović won 2017 Diamond League race in long jump for the second consecutive time.

2018–2019
In 2018, she achieved the first world title, winning the World Indoor Championships in Birmingham with 6.96. Reese was 2nd with 6.89 and Moguenara 3rd with 6.85. Španović is the first Serbian athlete to win a world senior title in athletics. After Španović won the gold medal at the Mediterranean Games in Tarragona with the Games record (7.04 windy and 6.99 regular), she got the best performance in the qualification at European Championships in Berlin. But an injury during the qualification forced her to give up the final and to defend her title. Her 6.84 got in qualification was better than the performance got by Mihambo (6.75) to win the gold medal, so it was the best result in the competition. The injury at Achille's tendon forced Španović to give up the final part of the season, included 2018 Diamond League race in which she qualified for the final.

In 2019, Španović, recovered by the injury of the previous summer, won gold medal at European indoor championships in Glasgow with 6.99. She matched the world indoor leading mark of 6.99 to emulate Heike Drechsler (1986–1988) as a three times in a row winner, but she got it in editions held every two years (2015–2017–2019). During the summer Španović had various injuries, including the one at ISTAF Berlin meeting, and was forced to forfeit the World Championships in Doha.

2020–2021
In 2020, Španović, bothered by a metatarsal bone fracture in June, decided to end her season already in August. She planned to compete at the European Indoor Championships next year, but not at the World Indoor Championships two weeks later. During the year, she had only one competition 6.80/0.8 long jump on June 6 in Novi Sad.

In 2021, Španović injured her right leg in the last training before leaving to Toruń and was forced to skip European Indoor Championships in which she would be trying to win a record fourth successive title. Recovered by the injury, in the outdoor season, she had two successes in the 2021 Diamond League race at the Golden Gala in Florence and at the DN Galan in Stockholm and one second place at Bislett Games in Oslo, before competing in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. At the Games, she got the best performance in the qualification (7.00), measure which would have allowed her to win the gold medal in the final. But she jumped only 6.91 in the final and finished fourth. After the disappointment of the Olympic Games, Španović had another success in the Diamond League event at the Athletissima in Lausanne. At least she had a success at the Weltklasse Zürich final, with a result of 6.96. So she won for the third time the long jump in the Diamond League, the most victories in this event.

2022–present
In 2022, Španović, then Vuleta, retained her title at the World Indoor Championships held in Belgrade. She triumphed with 7.06, the best performance of the 2022 indoor season. She gained the fourth consecutive medal in the event: bronze in 2014, silver in 2016, gold in 2018 and gold in 2022. After a disappointing 7th place at World outdoor championships in Eugene, but with a millimeter foul, enough for a medal, she had a brilliant final of the season. First she won the gold medal at European Championships in Munich with a 7.06 jump, the best one in European Championships from 1998. She achieved 7.06 at the first attempt and it was the first jump over 7.00 at European Championships in the 21st century. After her seventh gold medal at a major championships, Španović-Vuleta won the final of 2022 Diamond League race in Zürich, with a result of 6.97, once again got on her first jump. So she won for the fourth time the long jump in the Diamond League, the most victories in this event. The Olympic Committee of Serbia therefore declared her Sportswoman of The Year for the third time. Her 2023 season was one to remember. In March, Vuleta took part in the European Indoor Championship in Athletics where she finished 3rd with 6.91. In august, Vuleta completed her long lasting dream of becoming the outdoor World Champion by winning gold medal at the World Outdoor Championship in Athletics with a 7.14 mark. She got the first gold medal for Serbia in an outdoor World Championships. In September, Vuleta announced her retirement from the athletics following the upcoming 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris. After her eighth gold medal at a major championships, Španović-Vuleta won the final of 2023 Diamond League race in Eugene, with a result of 6.85. So she won for the fifth time the long jump in the Diamond League, the most victories in this event. Previously she won another Diamong League meeting in Xiamen. The Olympic Committee of Serbia therefore declared her the best Sportswoman of The Year for the fourth time.

Vuleta has achieved nineteen victories in the IAAF Diamond League circuit, a record in women long jump. Also, she has achieved two victories in the IAAF World Challenge circuit, at the ISTAF Berlin in 2015 and at the Hanžeković Memorial with 6.96, a new meeting record, in 2016. Since the 2013 World Championship, Vuleta has won overall 15 medals in all major events.

She set 31 national senior records: 13 outdoors (all in long jump), 18 indoors (16 in long jump, one in 60m and one in pentathlon).

International competitions
1Did not start in the final

Circuit wins and titles

 * Diamond League Overall long jump Diamond Race title: Diamond blue.svg 2016
 * Diamond League long jump champion: Diamond blue.svg 2017, Diamond blue.svg 2021, Diamond blue.svg 2022, Diamond blue.svg 2023
 * 2013 (1): Stockholm
 * 2014 (2): Eugene (= ), Zürich
 * 2015 (2): Monaco, Zürich (NR)
 * 2016 (5): Shanghai, 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

Honours

 * Karadjodjeva zvezda 3 RS.gif Order of Karađorđe's Star
 * BIH Order of Njegosh 1st class ribbon.svg Order of Njegoš

Personal life
Ivana's parents are Ljubiša and Vesna Španović. Her mother was also a competitive athlete. She favors a distinctive and playful personal style. Even on the field she can be seen fiercely competing with her fellow elite athletes while sporting fashionable nails, often polished in neon colours.

Španović married fitness nutritionist Marko Vuleta in September 2021. She officially adopted her husband's last name upon marriage. They filed for divorce in December 2023.