Judo
Kosovo's judoka Krasniqi wins Olympic gold, country's second-ever medal at the Summer Games
Distria Krasniqi wins the first judo medal at the Tokyo Olympics beating Funa Tonaki of Japan
Distria Krasniqi, the female judoka from Kosovo won the second gold medal for her country ever since their Olympic appearance in Rio in 2016. She defeated the Japanese player Funa Tonaki in the finals to script history for her homeland in the women's 48kg category in Judo at the Tokyo Olympics. This was the first judo medal awarded at the Summer Games.
Krasniqi's journey to the games has been nothing but amazing. Her devotion to the game was evident from her tears as she bagged the title of Olympic glory by scoring a waza-ari, winning the game on a throw with 20 seconds on the clock.
A famous moment for Kosovo!
— Olympics (@Olympics) July 24, 2021
Distria Krasniqi wins #gold in the #judo women's 48kg event!#KOS | @Judo | #Tokyo2020 pic.twitter.com/wdfUwkjLJz
Though being top-seeded, Krasniqi's fight for the victory wasn't easy. She was heavily challenged by her opponent and rival Tonaki. The 4-foot-10 Japanese judoka defeated a series of difficult players to reach the finales of the event.
The star judoka from Kosova has a long list of achievements and this is another feather in her cap but one of the most crucial ones. Adding this gem, she has earned it all throughout her life.
She started her tournament with two Ippon both in the Round of 16 and in the quarter-finals but had to face a challenge in a semi-final bout against Urantsetseg Munkhbat of Mongolia. But she managed to score a waza-ari to make her way to the Olympic Finals in Tokyo.
It comes as a disappointment for the player from Japan as she desperately wanted to win the gold in Japan's loved homegrown martial art. But she managed to win hearts with her performance by defeating Daria Biodid in the semi-finals, former two times World Champion. Tonaki secured the first medal for Japan at the Olympics in their home country.
This will also boost the confidence of players from Kosovo who have recently started participating in the Olympic Games as the athletes from their land continue to shine.