Kosovo wins first ever Olympic gold medal on Olympic debut

Kosovo claimed its first ever Olympic gold at its first ever Olympic Games today as Majlinda Kelmendi took the top honours in the women’s judo -52kg weight category.

Kelmendi overcame Italy’s Odette Giuffrida in a dramatic fianl to put Kosovo on the Olympic medal table for the first time in its history. Kelmendi was overcome with emotion after her victory and shared the special moment with her compatriots in the crowd.

Rio 2016 is the first Olympic Games Kosovo has been able to send an independent team to after it was granted full recognition by the IOC in December 2014.