Since their maiden international match in 2006, the Montenegro women’s national senior team, an European champion in 2012 and runners-up at the London 2012 Olympic Games, only had six coaches.

Now, former national team player Suzana Lazovic, who was a member of that incredible squad that wrote history 12 years ago, will be the seventh, as she was appointed the new head coach of the European side, taking over from former teammate Bojana Popovic.

Over the past three years, Lazovic has been the coach of the women’s junior team of the People’s Republic of China, leading the Asian side to the 15th place at the 2024 IHF Women’s Junior World Championship in North Macedonia, where the Asian side delivered some excellent performances against European sides.

But now, Lazovic decided to return to Europe, where she is also a coach for a club side, Hungarian team Alba Fehervar KC, and especially to Montenegrin handball, where she was Popovic’s assistant at the 2018 IHF Women’s Youth World Championship, as well as the head coach of the Montenegro team at the W19 EHF EURO 2019.

“The opportunity to lead these girls makes me proud. As a player, I reached the highest heights with the national team, now I have received great trust from the Federation to lead the new generation of "lionesses" in the way they taught and led us in the previous period. Another dream has come true for me and I believe we will make all the people who follow and support us proud,” said Lazovic, according to the official website of the Montenegro Handball Federation.

The European side finished third at the EHF EURO 2022, securing a bronze medal, and then seventh at the 2023 IHF Women’s World Championship, but missed out on a place at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, after conceding two losses in the Olympic Qualification Tournament in Neu-Ulm, against Germany and Slovenia.

The first challenge for Lazovic will be the EHF EURO 2024, in November and December, where Montenegro have been drawn into Group B, alongside Romania, Serbia and Czechia. Only the first two teams in the group progress to the main round.

Then, Lazovic will surely aim to bring Montenegro in a good position for the future 2025 IHF Women’s World Championship, as the world handball flagship competition is the only major international one where the European side have not won a medal, with the fifth place at Japan 2019 being their best performance.

“The European Championship awaits us at the end of November, but the first goal is for our young players to get a chance and for everything we do to be long-term, in order to return handball to a successful path. It will take time, but I believe we can do it,” concluded Lazovic.