Laura Fazliu returns with a medal, leaves the arena in tears

Laura Fazliu has returned to winning ways in judo competitions, leaving the arena with tears in her eyes. Laura competed on Saturday at the Grand Prix Upper Austria, in Linz. She won a bronze medal in the under-63-kilogram category.

Laura had not competed since the “Paris 2024” Olympic Games. At the end of July last year, she had won an Olympic bronze medal. She returned to training quickly, but not to competitions.

In Austria, she was the top seed in the category, but nevertheless was stopped in the semifinals. She was defeated by the young Japanese judoka So Morichika. That bout was decided by penalties. Laura received her third penalty in overtime.

The bronze-medal bout against Dutchwoman Joni Geilen was different. The Dutchwoman quickly scored a “Yuko”. But Laura immediately executed a superb throw for “Ippon”. She was injured during the final and left the tatami with tears in her eyes. It appeared to be a knee injury.

Laura had a bye in the first round, while in the second she defeated Italian Carlotta Avanzato. She sustained a facial injury against her and a bandage was applied. She quickly defeated Slovenia’s Leila Mazouzi in the quarterfinals.

Her return was successful, but it is hoped that the injury is not serious.