Distria Krasniqi delivered a standout performance on Saturday in the French capital, winning the gold medal at the Paris Grand Slam — widely considered the most prestigious judo tournament in the world.

The Kosovo star was unstoppable in the under-52 kg category. At the famous Bercy arena, in front of around 15,000 spectators, Krasniqi defeated Spain’s Ariane Toro Soler in the final, improving her head-to-head record to five wins and one loss.

The final ended quickly, as Krasniqi executed a beautiful throw for ippon after just 27 seconds, sealing Kosovo’s triumph.

This gold medal is her fourth at the Paris Grand Slam, after previous titles in 2020, 2023 and 2024. She also owns two silver and three bronze medals at this event. In Paris, she additionally won an Olympic silver medal, bringing her total to 10 medals in the French capital.

As the top seed, Krasniqi received a first-round bye. She then comfortably defeated France’s Alicia Marques. The quarterfinal against Brazil’s Larissa Pimenta was demanding, but Krasniqi prevailed in golden score with a waza-ari. In the semifinal, she overcame France’s Amandine Buchard — considered her main rival — scoring an early yuko and controlling the match until the end.

Five other Kosovo judokas also competed in Paris. The best result among them came from Fationa Kasapi, who finished seventh in the under-52 kg category after wins over France’s Blandine Pont and Hungary’s Roza Gyertyas, before losing to Germany’s Mascha Ballhaus and later to South Korea’s Jang Suyun in repechage.

In the under-73 kg division, Akil Gjakova advanced past the first round and defeated Portugal’s Otari Kvantidze, but was later eliminated by Italy’s Manuel Lombardo after receiving a third penalty in golden score — a decision that prompted strong reactions from Kosovo head coach Driton Kuka.

Erza Muminoviq exited in her second bout (-48 kg), Flaka Loxha lost her opening match (-57 kg), while Laura Fazliu (-63 kg) was disqualified along with Israel’s Gili Sharir after a rare double third penalty following a 14-minute contest.