Kosovo’s Akil Gjakova has won the bronze medal at the 2026 Mediterranean Games in Taranto, defeating Türkiye’s Bilal Ciloglu in the bronze-medal bout.
Gjakova secured the victory with an Ippon, earning third place and another medal for Kosovo at the Games.
His path to the podium began with a victory over Cyprus’ Kyprianos Andreou, whom he defeated by Yuko in the opening round.
In the quarterfinals, Gjakova was defeated by France’s Maxime Gobert after conceding two Yuko scores.
The Kosovar judoka responded strongly in the repechage. He defeated Portugal’s Alexandre Bucur by Ippon in his first repechage bout.
In the second repechage contest, Gjakova overcame Croatia’s Robert Klacar after three penalties resulted in an Ippon victory.
With this performance, Akil Gjakova adds another bronze medal to Kosovo’s tally at Taranto 2026. 🇽🇰🥉
