Flaka Loxha takes a major step, wins her first elite medal

Flaka Loxha has taken a major step in her career. She has won her first medal in elite competitions, namely in events on the Judo World Tour.

On Friday, Flaka won the bronze medal at the Grand Prix event in Zagreb. She placed third in the category up to 57 kilograms. She defeated Croatian Tihea Topolovec for the bronze medal.

The Croatian took the lead by scoring a counterattack for a waza-ari. But the judoka from Peja did not lose her composure. She stuck to her plan and won by Ippon, which she scored with a masterful hold.

The Judo World Tour consists of the biggest judo events, including the Grand Slam and Grand Prix tournaments.

Flaka has achieved results among the young competitors and in the U23 age group. But the 25-year-old waited longer than she had planned for her first medal at a Grand Prix event.

This medal is expected to inspire her to achieve further success at major competitions.

She started the competition in Zagreb with a win over Japan’s Hiyori Koga. She scored a beautiful throw for Ippon against her. She then defeated Israel’s Maya Leopold. She controlled the bout against her and won on penalties. In the semifinal, Flaka Loxha had a tough bout with Croatian Ana Viktorija Puljiz. Both had one waza-ari, and the bout went into overtime. After the Croatian launched several attacks, the Kosovo judoka was given a third penalty for passivity.

But in the bout for the bronze medal, Flaka found the strength and form she needed to triumph.

Erza Muminoviq also competed on Friday, but was eliminated in her first bout in the category up to 52 kilograms. On Saturday in Zagreb, Dardan Cena competes in the category up to 73 kilograms.

With Friday’s medal, Flaka will make significant progress in the world rankings. She is a major hope for Kosovo at the “Los Angeles 2028” Olympic Games.