Best Inspirational Moments (IMHO) from First Days of Rio Olympics

Majlinda Kelmendi and Kosovo Wins First-Ever Olympic Gold Medal

“I thought I would never see this day because I thought I would die in the 1999 war. Majlinda Kelmendi was not representing only herself but all the people of Kosovo,” — Sanije Balaj, 51, citizen of Kosovo.

Rio 2016 is the first time that athletes are competing under the flag of Kosovo, which proclaimed independence from Serbia in 2008. Majlinda Kelmidi, who had previously competed for other countries, finally had her chance to represent Kosovo when she took the gold medal in Judo to the delight of her countrymen. “I have lived four years for this day, for this moment, and I felt so happy there at the podium when I saw my flag and when I heard my anthem,” she told reporters afters after the match.

Though tensions persist between Kosovo and Serbia, which doesn’t recognize Kosovo’s independence, nothing could mar Kelmendi’s victory: “”There is no money in the world, no millions in the world which can make me feel how I feel today,” she said in this Haaretz article.

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