Kosovo’s First Olympic Gold Still Evokes Emotion

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 appearance, CE Report quotes Kosova Press.

Besim Hasani, the former president of the Kosovo Olympic Committee at the time, reflected on Majlinda’s success. He said he was confident Majlinda would win the gold medal because she had already shown great potential at the London 2012 Olympics.

“I knew exactly that the medal wouldn’t slip away from Majlinda because she was full of determination and energy. Majlinda was already prepared for the 2012 London Olympics... From the first fight in Rio, she was extremely cautious and well-prepared—undoubtedly a strategy developed with master coach Driton Kuka. But Majlinda didn’t care about flashy wins or Ippon; she just wanted to win, however necessary. Despite some fear of surprise outcomes, the right moment arrived, and she was crowned with the medal and made history—a history embraced by the entire world,” Hasani stated.

Recalling the most emotional moments of that triumphant day, Hasani was moved to tears, revealing that no one could speak in those moments—there were only tears of joy.

“Even for Majlinda, it was shocking. There was no room for words, only hugs and joyful tears. Even now, I get emotional—let alone how it felt then. We gathered around the flag and took a historic photo—the best photo I’ve ever had. I carried it with pride during my term as president of the Kosovo Olympic Committee,” said Hasani.

This historic date was also remembered by judo coach Driton Kuka, who wrote on social media that Majlinda was the first to open the path to Kosovo’s Olympic success—a path later followed by Distria Krasniqi and Nora Gjakova.