Diyora Keldiyorova won a gold medal at the competition in Aktau after a two-year break
Diyora Keldiyorova returned to the tatami after a two-year break and won a gold medal at the international tournament in Aktau. The Olympic champion, competing in the -52 kg weight category, defeated her Azerbaijani opponent ahead of time in the final. "I love judo, I live with judo," she said.
Diyora Keldiyorova won a gold medal at the competition in Aktau after a two-year break
A member of the Uzbekistan national judo team, Diyora Keldiyorova, won a gold medal at the international tournament being held in the city of Aktau, Kazakhstan, it is reported.
In the -52 kg weight category, the athlete confidently defeated all her opponents and reached the final.
In the decisive bout for the gold medal, she achieved an early victory over Azerbaijani athlete Farida Mirzayeva.
This victory earned Keldiyorova 100 points for the world ranking.
"To be honest, I cannot say that I have fully returned to my previous athletic form like in Paris. I was different there, and I cannot compare my current self with the Diyora of that time. Now I am a different, new Diyora — a mother. For two years, I didn't stay away from judo, I was just a little far from the competition atmosphere. But I feel good. I want to enjoy my judo. I love judo, I live with judo, and it is important to me how much I enjoy it," she said in an interview after the competition.
When asked by a journalist about coming here with her daughter, Diyora Keldiyorova said she attended the competition with her family. Asked whether her daughter understands that her mother is a champion, the athlete replied:
"No, the most important thing for her is that I am by her side, holding her. She only needs me as a mother. She doesn't understand what kind of athlete I am. I suppose she will understand when the time comes."
24 more representatives of the Uzbekistan national team are competing for medals in this tournament, which will last until October 18.
It should be recalled that Diyora Keldiyorova won the first Olympic gold in judo in the history of Uzbekistan at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
After that, the athlete took a break from competitions due to having a child and missed a number of tournaments during this time, in particular, the 2026 Asian Games. Now Keldiyorova will also participate in an international tournament to be held in Abu Dhabi at the end of October.