Distria Krasniqi has secured the gold medal at the European Judo Championships taking place in Podgorica, Montenegro.

The pride of Kosovo defeated Italy’s Odette Giuffrida in the final match, earning the top spot in the -52 kg weight category and bringing home a prestigious gold medal for Kosovo.

Krasniqi began her campaign with a bye in the first round. In the round of 16, she faced Serbian judoka Milica Nikolic. The Peja-born athlete dominated the fight, forcing multiple errors from her opponent, which eventually led to Nikolic receiving a red card.

In the quarterfinals, Krasniqi continued her unstoppable form, this time against Dutch judoka Naomi van Krevel. She first scored a waza-ari before finishing the match with an ippon, advancing to the semifinals.

There, she went up against Spain’s Ariane Toro Soler, delivering another powerful performance and winning by ippon once again to secure her place in the final.

In the gold medal match, Krasniqi faced a familiar rival — Italy’s Odette Giuffrida, whom she had already beaten in their last two encounters. With another decisive ippon, Distria sealed the victory and added another golden chapter to her career, once again raising the flag of Kosovo on the European stage.