Tijana Bošković (Serbian Cyrillic: Тијана Бошковић; born 8 March 1997) is a Serbian professional volleyball player. A left-handed opposite, she has won gold medals with the Serbia women's national volleyball team at the 2018 and 2022 World Championships and the 2017 and 2019 European Championships. She is also a two-time Olympic medalist, having won silver at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and bronze at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
Considered one of the world's best volleyball players, Bošković has been a key member of the Serbian team's offense since her debut with the national team in 2014.[2] She was selected as the European Volleyball Confederation Female Volleyball Player of the Year for three consecutive years, in 2017, 2018, and 2019.[3][4][5]
Bošković has broken several records for spike and serve speed in women's indoor volleyball. She currently holds the second- and fourth-fastest spike speed records, at 110.3 and 107.5 kilometers per hour respectively.[6]
Bošković joined the Serbian junior team at age 15.[7] In 2013, she won a silver medal at the 2013 European Youth Olympic Festival, where she was named the Most Valuable Player and Best Spiker.[8] In 2014, she led Serbia's U19 national team to a gold medal at the 2014 Women's Junior European Volleyball Championship.[9]
Bošković made her debut with Serbia's senior national team in 2014, where she became Serbia's leading scorer at the 2014 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship.[10] The next year, she won a silver medal at the 2015 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Cup. Serbia's second-place finished secured the team a spot at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, where the team earned a silver medal after a four-set defeat in the finals by China.[11][12] This marked Serbia's first-ever women's volleyball medal.[13] During the tournament, Bošković served a 100 km/h serve, the fastest-ever serve at the Olympics at the time. The record was broken in a match later that day by Italian player Paola Egonu.[6]
In 2017, Bošković won bronze with the national team at 2017 FIVB Volleyball World Grand Prix, where she was named Best Opposite Player of the tournament.[14] At the 2017 Women's European Volleyball Championship, Bošković led her team to a victory over the Netherlands, resulting in Serbia's second European title. With a total of 130 points, she was the most productive offensive player of the tournament and was named Most Valuable Player.[15]
During the first edition of the FIVB Women's Volleyball Nations League, Bošković was the leading scorer with 206 total points. Serbia ranked 5th in the tournament.[16] That same year, Bošković led Serbia to its first-ever title at the 2018 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship, where she was once again named Most Valuable Player after amassing a total of 193 points.[17] Bošković and Serbia repeated their European title at the 2019 Women's European Volleyball Championship, where she was awarded Most Valuable Player and Best Opposite.[2]
At the 2020 Summer Olympics, Serbia earned a bronze medal, with Bošković being named Best Opposite.[18] She became the first player to score 30 or more points in three different matches within a single Olympics tournament.[19]
At the 2022 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship, Serbia defended its title and Bošković was named Most Valuable Player and Best Opposite of the tournament.[20] She became the second player in history, after Regla Torres of Cuba, to achieve back-to-back World Championship MVP awards, making her the sole player in the history of European volleyball to attain this feat.[21]
At the 2023 Women's European Volleyball Championship, Bošković and the team advanced to the final for the fourth consecutive edition, where they ultimately placed second.[22] Bošković is part of Serbia's 12-player roster at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.[23]
Since 2015, Bošković has played professionally for Eczacıbaşı in the Turkish Women's Volleyball League.[24] She won her first trophy with the team at the 2016 Club World Championship in the Philippines, where she was the tournament's Most Valuable Player and Best Opposite.[25] As a member of Eczacıbaşı, she has won eight trophies in total: three times at the Turkish Women's Volleyball Super Cup (2018, 2019 and 2020), twice at the Women's CEV Cup (2017–18 and 2021–22), twice at the FIVB Club World Championship (2016 and 2023) and once at the Turkish Women's Volleyball Cup (2018–19).[26][27][28]
Bošković was born to Serb parents on 8 March 1997 in Trebinje, Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina.[29][30] Her younger brother, Vuk, is a basketball player and her older sister, Dajana, plays for the Bosnia and Herzegovina women's national volleyball team.[31] The two sisters played their first international match against each other in 2021 Women's European Volleyball Championship.[32]
Bošković initially ventured into sports through karate and ultimately gravitated toward volleyball and basketball.[33] Without any basketball clubs in her hometown to join, she began pursuing a career in volleyball. At age 14, she and her sister, then aged 17, moved to Belgrade to play volleyball.[34]
Bošković has received widespread acknowledgement for her athletic success. In 2017, President Milorad Dodik of Republika Srpska donated KM 20,000 (US $11,000) to Bošković and two of her teammates.[35] In 2018, Bosnia and Herzegovina's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Igor Crnadak, presented Bošković with a diplomatic passport.[36] As part of Serbia's national women's volleyball team, Bošković was also presented with a diplomatic passport from Serbia by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ivica Dačić.[37]
In July 2019, a sports hall in Bileća was named after Bošković.[38]
Serbian SuperCup
Serbian Cup
Serbian SuperLeague
Turkish Super Cup
Turkish Cup
Turkish League
CEV Cup
CEV Champions League
FIVB Volleyball Club World Championship
Coach: Akbaş