We haven't seen her since Tokyo. We knew that she had retired and that she would train the youngsters; little more. Now that she's in front with time to talk and once we've verified that she keeps her general well-being intact, let's get straight to the point.
When did you make the decision to retire?
“In January 2021,” answers Majlinda. That means, contrary to what many thought, she wanted to quit long before the Olympics. “In September 2020 I had knee surgery for the third time. It was very hard to come back because I was no longer having fun, I had lost my motivation.” Toni listens silently. The two of them have been together for half their lives and it is impossible to understand the career of one without the presence of the other. “I called him in January to inform him of my decision.”
“When she called me,” says Toni, “I got really nervous because I had a bad feeling.” Majlinda then told Toni what he feared the most and he told her the very thing she didn't want to hear. “I didn't want her to leave,” says Toni.
It is necessary to understand what judo means in Kosovo and what Majlinda represents, in order to understand the substance of that conversation.
Retirement is a momentous time in the life of any athlete, but Majlinda Kelmendi is not just any athlete. Majlinda won in Rio de Janeiro, the first Olympic gold medal in the history of Kosovo. She was also two-time world champion and four-time European gold medallist. For four years Majlinda ruled the category of -52 kilos with an iron fist. In her country she is one of the three best known people and is undoubtedly the most respected. She also has her own statue and at most, there must be one or two people in the world with a living statue and we are not talking about dictators but about normal people. In other words, Majlinda is the winning symbol of Kosovo. She gave stripes of nobility to a beardless country in search of its own path. Majlinda is more than a symbol; she is the image of a nation. That's why Toni didn't want her to leave.
Toni's recipe is to work hard, more than the others. When he convinced Majlinda to go on to the Olympics, they both went to work, as usual. “In fact,” she says, “I was twice as strong in Tokyo as I was in Rio. I've never felt better but that was physically, the mental part was something else." Majlinda was already gone, although no-one knew it. In Tokyo there was the most unexpected loss, in the first round. Everyone was surprised and everyone was saddened to see Majlinda leave the tatami defeated. "I didn't deserve to end up like this, maybe I should have left earlier." It was time to make official what many did not want.
“I haven't finished digesting the change yet. It's not easy, it takes time. What I can say by way of advice is that those who are contemplating a withdrawal do not take it as a joke because it is a very serious matter. You have to be aware of what you decide, you have to think about it a lot and very well. It's the only way to not regret it later."
A new life then, but how and with what resources? This is where Toni had to step in. “We are talking about Majlinda, the best athlete in the history of Kosovo, in the only sport that brings world and Olympic medals to the country. I spoke with members of the government and made them understand that Majlinda needed security to work serenely. Besides, she deserves it.”
Toni knows how to convince and his government was no exception. Majlinda has a fixed salary for life that allows her to dedicate herself to her work without worrying about the bank account. Now Majlinda is officially an assistant coach, Toni's right hand. “I want her to mature young people. I've been preparing her for that."
She assures us that being a coach is not easy. "It's normal because no matter how much you train and prepare the combat and the strategy, in the end you don't control anything because you're in the chair and not on the tatami."
It must not be easy at all, in fact, especially for her because her level of demand as a judoka was the maximum that can be reached and at the moment no-one from the new generation has her talent. It is about finding a balance, demanding what can be done and not dreaming of the impossible. "What I want is to help, if I can bring something new and good, then it will be worth it," she says.
The road will be long; they both know it because they both travelled that same path years ago. The good thing is that both Majlinda and Toni know the curves, they know what they will find when they go through it again with the young promises. “There are some really good ones,” says Majlinda.
Majlinda has always liked pressure; she never got upset. She even used it as a weapon to always be ahead of others. Toni knows, that in a few years, she will be his successor. They have been together longer than many marriages and have a plan for the future. "In a few years I will retire to do something else and to sleep, to sleep well", says Toni while Majlinda smiles.
They are a winning duo and now intend to extend their legacy. This has been understood in Kosovo. Whether they succeed is another story, time will tell.
Precisely, they are in Paris to participate in the Grand Slam and twenty-four hours after speaking with them, Majlinda is already sitting in the coaches’ chair to support Flaka Loxha. Majlinda is nervous, gesturing a lot and offering advice. That is something new for her and for us but it's her job. Loxha loses and we are left with a strange taste in our mouths because we are not used to seeing Majlinda lose. Yes, she did not fight, but defeat is not part of the Kosovar DNA either, precisely since Majlinda Kelmendi put on the judogi. She will have to learn to lose, that is, to draw conclusions that allow her to avoid the next one. Toni knows, he has already done it! Majlinda has to learn so that, just like when she made the decision to retire, she never has to regret it because life without regrets is much more beautiful.