Kosovar judo has achieved another significant success this Monday.
Judoka Laura Fazliu has won a bronze medal at the World Judo Championships being held in Budapest, Hungary. The 24-year-old now ranks third in the world in the under-63 kilogram category.
In the bronze medal match, Laura defeated Brazilian Nauana Silva. She beat the 22-year-old with a beautiful Ippon, executing a masterful throw just 70 seconds into the match.
The championship did not come at the best moment for Fazliu, who is also an Olympic bronze medalist. However, she still managed to earn another prestigious medal.
Laura had been injured on March 7th during the Austria Grand Prix and had not competed since then. Due to this, her form was somewhat uncertain, despite a good preparation phase.
She entered the championship as the fourth seed. In the first round, she had a bye. In the second round, she defeated the tough Polish athlete Natalia Kropska. Starting slowly, she gradually found her rhythm. In the final minute, she locked Kropska’s arm and won with an Ippon.
Her next opponent, Carlotta Avanzato of Italy, also posed a strong challenge. Yet Laura took the initiative and, just before the end, scored a beautiful throw to win by Ippon.
In the quarterfinal, she faced Brazilian legend Rafaela Silva, a former Olympic champion and two-time world gold medalist. While both were testing each other’s strength, the experienced Silva caught Laura off guard and won with a well-executed Ippon just 49 seconds into the match. Silva eventually finished fifth, missing out on a medal.
In the repechage, Fazliu was scheduled to face Mongolian Enkhriilen Lkhagvatogoo, but her opponent did not appear on the tatami due to a hand injury from the previous bout. Thus, Laura advanced automatically.
Laura also won bronze at last year’s World Championships and later earned Olympic bronze. She has also claimed a silver and a bronze at European Championships. In Masters tournaments, she holds a gold and a silver, and has collected five medals in Grand Slam and Grand Prix events.
The under-63kg category had 44 competitors—more than any other category.
This World Championship is once again proving very successful for Team Kosovo. On Saturday, Distria Krasniqi won silver in the under-52kg category, while Akil Gjakova also competed.
With Fazliu’s win, this becomes Kosovo’s 10th senior World Championship medal in judo.
