«Now I am a new Diyora»: Diyora Keldiyorova's first interview after returning to big-time sports

Paris 2024 Olympic champion and bright star of Uzbek sports Diyora Keldiyorova has returned to big-time sports after giving birth and a certain break.

After taking the highest step of the podium in the -52 kg weight category at an international tournament held in Aktau, Kazakhstan, the champion shared her sincere thoughts for the first time about her comeback process, physical condition, and maternal feelings.

«As a mother, I am more graceful»: The champion's confession

Diyora Keldiyorova, reflecting on her mental and physical changes, emphasized that a completely new page of her life has now opened:

• The new Diyora: «To be honest, I cannot say that I have fully returned to my sports form from before the Paris Olympics. I was different back then. Now I am a completely different, new Diyora — more graceful as a mother. Despite this, I feel very good», — the athlete said;

• Enjoyment matters more than results: «I just want to enjoy judo. I sincerely love judo, I live with it, and how much I enjoy my work is very important to me»;

• Maternal duty and love: «The most important thing for my daughter is for me to be by her side, to hold her in my arms. Right now she only needs a loving mother. She doesn't understand what kind of athlete I am yet, in time she will come to realize all of this», — she added.

Clean victories in all matches — a series of pure «ippon»s

Keldiyorova demonstrated her high skill in her very first tournament after the break:

• Absolute dominance: In the matches held on October 17, our compatriot defeated all her opponents before the final ahead of schedule — with a clean «ippon» score;

  • Gold final: In the decisive match, she won a confident victory over Farida Mirzayeva from Azerbaijan, securing the championship;

  • 100 ranking points: Thanks to this gold medal, Diyora added 100 valuable points to her International Judo Federation (IJF) world ranking account.

  Recall that Diyora Keldiyorova won a gold medal at the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris, making history as the first female Olympic champion in the history of Uzbek judo, after which she temporarily did not participate in major competitions due to child-rearing. Her triumphant return brought great joy to her fans.