Uzbekistan's anthem was played at the Olympic Games in Paris. Judoka Diyora Keldiyorova climbed to the first step of the Olympic podium.
Diyora Keldiyorova is the Asian champion, a two-time silver medalist at the world championships and the current leader of the world judo ranking. Her coach is former German judoka Marko Shpittka, bronze medalist of the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta.
Diyora Keldiyorova's first opponent in the one-eighth final was Japan's Ah-be Oo-ta, the reigning Olympic champion and four-time world champion, who had not lost on the judo world tours in five years. The athletes received a Shido warning in the opening minutes of the encounter. Soon Diyora Keldiyorova received another warning. The Japanese managed to hold a hold, after which she was awarded one point. A minute before the end of the bout, the Uzbekistani was able to put her opponent on her back, get the highest Ippon score, and break Ah-be Oo-ta's five-year winning streak. Her opponent reacted emotionally to the early defeat and burst into tears.
In the quarterfinals, Diyora Keldiyorova defeated German judoka Mascha Ballhaus, who is a bronze medalist at the 2024 World Championships and the 2023 European Championships. Her opponent received three warnings, after which the victory was awarded to the representative of Uzbekistan with the score 1-0.
In the semifinals, her opponent was Amandine Buchard, the 2021 European champion, four-time World Championship medalist, European Championship medalist and silver medalist of the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games. She also defeated her by a score of 1-0.
In the final Diyora Keldiyorova faced Kosovo judoka Distria Krasniqi, champion of the 2020 Olympic Games in the weight category up to 48 kilograms, two-time European champion in 2021 and 2024. European and world championships medalist. Diyora Keldiyorova was able to hold a successful hold and got one point, which eventually became the winning one. This is Uzbekistan's first medal at the 2024 Games.
Diyora Keldiyorova, competing in the women's 52 kilograms weight class, became the first athlete in Uzbekistan's history to win gold at the Summer Olympics. The last time Uzbekistan's representative was on the podium at the Beijing Olympics was in 2008. Diyora Keldiyorova is the first athlete in Uzbekistan's history to win gold in judo. Uzbekistan's judokas have previously won two silvers and five bronze medals from the Olympics.