Majlinda Kelmendi
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Majlinda Kelmendi PMM (Albanian pronunciation: [majˈlinda kɛlˈmɛndi]; born 9 May 1991) is a Kosovan-Albanian former judoka and judo coach.[4]
In 2014, Majlinda topped the IJF Women's Prestige World Ranking List.[6][7] On 7 August 2016, she became the first Kosovan athlete to win a medal at the Olympic Games when she claimed gold in the women's 52 kg category at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.[8] She also represented Albania at the 2012 Summer Olympics.[9][10]
Majlinda Kelmendi was born on 9 May 1991 into a Kosovo Albanian family in the city of Peja, then part of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, present-day Kosovo.[11][12][2][3][13] She was the cousin (aunt's daughter) of the late Labinot Harbuzi, a Swedish footballer of Kosovan descent, who died in October 2018 after a cardiac arrest at age 32.[14][15]
Career
In 2009, Kelmendi won the gold medal at the World Junior Championships in Paris.[16] In 2010, she came 5th at the World Junior Championships in Morocco[17] and finished 9th in the 52 kg category at the 2010 World Judo Championships in Tokyo, Japan.[18] She defeated Jaana Sundberg in the first round of the 2012 Olympics but then lost to Christianne Legentil in the second round.[19]
At the 2013 World Judo Championships, Kelmendi gave Kosovo its first ever judo world title as she beat Brazil's Érika Miranda in the –52 kg gold medal match in Rio de Janeiro. The 22-year-old – the first Kosovar judoka to win a medal at the championships since Kosovo's declaration of independence in 2008 – was not a shock winner as she came to Rio de Janeiro ranked number one[20] in her category having won the prestigious 2013 World Masters event. Kelmendi retained the world title in 2014.[21] She did not defend her title the following year due to injury.
In February 2016, she won the gold medal at Paris Grand Slam, making her third consecutive title after winning in 2014 and 2015.[22] Two months later, she earned a gold medal at the 2016 European Championships in Kazan, Russia.[23] At the 2016 Summer Olympics she became the first ever Kosovan athlete to win a gold medal, or any medal at all, for Kosovo at an Olympic Games.[8] Controversy arose when reports emerged that she had declined to take an unscheduled doping control test in June in France; her trainer insists she is clean, and that she refused due to the tester having no authorisation from WADA.[24]
Due to the resistance of International Olympic Committee and the United Nations, Kelmendi was unable to represent Kosovo at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. Also, IOC turned down Kelmendi's request to compete as an independent athlete. Kelmendi chose to represent Albania, as the vast majority of Kosovars are ethnic Albanians.
In October 2014, the International Olympic Committee provisionally recognised the Olympic Committee of Kosovo and gave it full membership on 9 December 2014.[25][26] Kosovo participated at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the country's first appearance at an Olympic event.[27] Kelmendi was Kosovo's flag bearer during the Parade of Nations of the opening ceremony in Rio.[28] Her gold medal in those games was Kosovo's first ever Olympic medal. She is also a citizen of Albania and has an Albanian passport.[2][3]
In 2021, she won one of the bronze medals in her event at the 2021 Judo World Masters held in Doha, Qatar.[29][30] A month later, she won one of the bronze medals in her event at the 2021 Judo Grand Slam Tel Aviv held in Tel Aviv, Israel.[31][32] She competed in the women's 52 kg event at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.[33]
