Bosnian Olympic Butterflier Lana Pudar Commits to Virginia
Bosnia and Herzegovina butterflier Lana Pudar announced on social media Tuesday that she is committing the University of Virginia.
Pudar adds another swimmer with international experience to Virginia’s ranks. She’s been a regular on the European and World Championships circuit since the Tokyo Olympics, winning a bronze medal at the 2024 World Championships in the 200 fly.
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Pudar doesn’t have short-course yards times, but she does hold six long-course national records:
- 100 free: 55.91
- 200 free: 2:01.99
- 400 free: 4:17.01
- 50 fly: 26.10
- 100 fly: 56.95
- 200 fly: 2:06.26
Pudar wrote:
I’m beyond excited to announce that I will continue my swimming and academic career at the University of Virginia! Can’t wait to join the team this fall and see what the future holds for us!
The native of Mostar has a ton of big-meet experience. She’s swum at each of the last three long-course World Championships. She also won bronze in the 200 fly at the 2021 World Short-Course Championships in Abu Dhabi. She burst onto the scene at the 2022 European Championships, when she won gold in the 200 fly and bronze in the 100 fly. She added a silver medal in the 200 fly at Euros in 2024, behind Denmark’s Helena Rosendahl Bach.
She is a six-time gold medalist and nine-time medalist at European Junior Championships, and she won gold in the 200 fly and 100 fly to go with 50 fly silver at the World Junior Championships in 2023.
Pudar made her Olympic debut at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. At the Paris Games in 2024, she finished 17th in the 100 fly and reached the semifinals of the 200 fly, finishing 12th.
Pudar turned 19 in January. She’s the second high-profile international addition to the Cavaliers this month to go along with Italian sprinter Sara Curtis. Virginia is the five-time reigning NCAA champion on the women’s side, though it faces the task of replacing both Gretchen Walsh and Alex Walsh in their chase for a sixth straight title.
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