Distria Krasniqi

1.1. Childhood and early judo

Distria Krasniqi was born on October 12, 1995, in Pejë, Kosovo, which was then part of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. She began practicing judo at the age of seven, a sport she took up with encouragement from her brother, with whom she often trained. From the outset of her career, she was coached by Driton Kuka, a pivotal figure who has been instrumental in her success and the broader development of judo in Kosovo.

2.1. Career progression and weight categories

Krasniqi's early career saw her compete primarily in the 52-kilogram category. She achieved notable results in junior competitions, securing bronze medals at the European U23 Judo Championships in 2012 and 2013, as well as a bronze at the European Junior Judo Championships in 2013. In 2014, she temporarily moved down to the 48-kilogram category, where she secured her first senior international victory at the European Open Sofia and a bronze at the Judo Grand Prix Düsseldorf.

She later returned to the 52-kilogram division, winning her first IJF World Judo Tour event at the Judo Grand Prix Tbilisi in March 2015 and earning a bronze at the Judo Grand Slam Baku in May of the same year. However, her path to the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in the 52-kilogram category was blocked by her training partner and two-time world champion, Majlinda Kelmendi, who had already secured the Olympic spot for Kosovo. This challenge led Krasniqi to make strategic decisions regarding her weight class to ensure Olympic qualification. In October 2015, she faced Kelmendi in the final of the European Open Lisbon, losing by three shido penalties.

Krasniqi made history at the 2015 World Judo Juniors Championships in Abu Dhabi, becoming the first judoka to win a World Junior title representing Kosovo. (Previously, Kelmendi had won in 2009 but competed under the IJF banner due to Kosovo's unrecognised status at the time). She continued to excel, winning two European U23 Championships in 2016 and 2017, and numerous Grand Prix events in the 52-kilogram category, including consecutive victories at the Judo Grand Prix Antalya in 2017 and 2018. She also claimed a silver medal at the 2018 European Judo Championships and a gold medal at the Mediterranean Games in 2018.

In mid-2018, Krasniqi made another significant shift, moving back to the 48-kilogram category. This move was strategic, allowing her to avoid competing directly against established Kosovan teammates like Kelmendi and Nora Gjakova (the 2018 European light weight champion) for 2020 Summer Olympics qualification. Despite a second-round loss to Ukraine's Daria Bilodid at the Judo Grand Prix Zagreb, she secured bronze at the Judo Grand Prix Budapest. She ended 2018 with a gold medal at the Judo Grand Prix Tashkent and a victory at the 2018 Judo World Masters in Guangzhou, where she defeated former world champion Ami Kondo of Japan with an early Ouchi Gari.

The 2020 Judo Grand Slam Paris saw her compete in the 52-kilogram category, where she impressively defeated former world champion Ai Shishime, 2012 London Olympic 48-kilogram gold medalist Sarah Menezes, and 2016 Rio Olympic silver medalist Odette Giuffrida en route to winning the gold. In October of the same year, she reverted to the 48-kilogram class and won the Judo Grand Slam Budapest, defeating Paula Pareto. She continued her dominance into 2021 by securing her third consecutive gold at the Judo World Masters in Doha, defeating Funa Tonaki, who had previously beaten Bilodid. In 2024, she notably won her second consecutive Judo Grand Slam Paris title by defeating Chelsea Giles.

2.2. Major international achievements

Distria Krasniqi has garnered a remarkable collection of medals at the pinnacle of international judo competitions, consistently performing at the highest level.

2.3. Other international competitions

Throughout her career, Krasniqi has also competed and medaled in various other significant international tournaments:

• IJF Grand Prix: She has seven gold medals (2015 Samsun, 2017 Antalya, 2017 The Hague, 2018 Antalya, 2018 Tashkent, 2019 Antalya, 2022 Almada), five silver medals (2016 Budapest, 2016 Zagreb, 2018 Tunis, 2019 Budapest, 2022 Zagreb), and five bronze medals (2014 Düsseldorf, 2015 Zagreb, 2016 Samsun, 2018 Budapest, 2018 The Hague).
• European U23 Championships: She won gold medals in 2016 in Tel Aviv and 2017 in Podgorica, along with bronze medals in 2012 in Prague and 2013 in Samokov, all in the 52-kilogram category.
• World Juniors Championships: She won gold in 2015 in Abu Dhabi in the 52-kilogram category.
• European Junior Championships: She secured bronze medals in 2013 in Sarajevo and 2015 in Oberwart, both in the 52-kilogram category.
• Mediterranean Games: Krasniqi won gold medals in the 52-kilogram event at both the 2018 Mediterranean Games in Tarragona and the 2022 Mediterranean Games in Oran.
• Jeux de la Francophonie: She won a gold medal at the 2017 Jeux de la Francophonie in Abidjan in the 52-kilogram category.