Judo Brings Kosovo 3 Olympic Golds in Just 9 Years

Today marks nine years since one of the greatest moments in Kosovo’s sports history. On August 7, 2016, at the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games, Majlinda Kelmendi won the gold medal in judo, making Kosovo an Olympic champion in its very first participation, CE Report quotes Kosova Press.

Judo coach Driton Kuka commemorated the date with emotion in a social media post, emphasizing that Majlinda was the first to pave the way for Kosovo’s Olympic success—a path later followed by Distria Krasniqi and Nora Gjakova.

"Today it’s been 9 years since Kosovo made it! In its very first Olympics. Majlinda—Olympic champion. The highest sporting title. They saw us as a group of enthusiasts, but Majlinda started it, and then Disi and Nora continued!" Kuka wrote.

Thanks to judo, Kosovo now counts three Olympic gold medals—an achievement that has placed the country on the global sports map.

“Relive the magical moments of the first Olympic gold medal,” concludes the coach who led all the champions to Olympic glory.