Hundreds of young people in the Kosovar city of Peja are looking forward to watching the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. They hope their heroine Majlinda Kelmendi wins the second gold medal in judo.
Who is Majlinda Kelmendi?
Kelmendi, 30, became an inspiration to many in Kosovo when she started bringing trophies back to her hometown. After becoming the best judoka in the world in her 52 kg category, she won the gold medal at the Rio 2016 Olympics. Last year a statue of her was erected in the center of Peja. The country of 1.8 million people now has more than 20 judo clubs compared to just six before Kelmendi won Kosovo’s first Olympic gold medal. Kosovo declared independence in 2008 and was allowed to participate in the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in 2016.
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“It turned the eyes of the whole world to Kosovo and made it possible to be accepted at the Olympic Games“Said Driton Kuka, Kelmendi’s coach. He had many offers to compete for different countries before Kosovo was allowed to participate in the Olympics. “We knew that those millions that were offered to us (from other countries) we would never have them in Kosovo “Kelmendi said after a tough 90-minute training session. “But the emotions that I experienced from the people in Kosovo is something that money cannot buy “. The children hope to follow in his footsteps and compete in the Olympics.
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