After Majlinda Kelmendi, Kosovo aims for new medals at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris

In the city park in Peja, about 80 kilometers from the capital, there is a statue of Majlinda Kelmendi, the first athlete from Kosovo to win an Olympic gold medal.

She won the top prize at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro games in the 52kg judo competition.

"Majlinda Kelmendi was the first to bring Olympic medals to Kosovo. Peja is known for judo. This is not the last. We expect other medals, not only from Majlinda Kelmendi, at the next Olympic Games in Paris", says a student from Peja Ersan Bertakic.

Peja is home to the National Judo Center and this year is looking for new medals at the Paris Olympics, where Kosovo is represented by a team of nine, including five judokas.

After the success of Majlinda Kelmendi in Brazil, Kosovo won two more gold medals in the 2020 games in Tokyo, Japan, both for judo.

Distria Krasniqi was the champion in the 48 kilogram category and Nora Gjakova in the 57 kilogram category.

But can another athlete repeat this success?

"We have high hopes for our team. I think we have the best coach in the world and some of the best athletes in the world. This will hopefully be our third Olympics with medals. We are all prepared. We hope for the best. Kosovo is one of the strongest nations for judo and we will prove it again", says Zymer Zeka, assistant judo coach in Kosovo.

Kosovo joined the International Olympic Committee in December 2014 and its athletes competed for the first time at the Olympic Games in Rio De Janeiro.

"Kosovo is now participating in the third Olympic Games in Paris 2024. Although we are a very small nation, with less than two million inhabitants, we are proud that we already have three Olympic gold medals. This pride and this passion give us the motivation to move forward and work even harder. We hope that in Paris we will do even better and that together we will shine again", says Besim Aliti, Secretary General of the National Olympic Committee of Kosovo.

At the opening ceremony of this year's Olympic Games, the flag of Kosovo will be carried by Nora Gjakova, winner of the gold medal from Tokyo, and her brother Afrimi./ VOA