In the summer of 2024, a young judoka, a girl from Samarkand not raised in any of the big cities of the world, became an Olympic judo champion, changing the expectations and opportunities of an entire nation of girls in an instant.
Diyora Keldiyorova, an Uzbek girl expected to marry by twenty and spend her life the traditional Uzbek way, followed her own path and with incredible support from a team dedicated to her success and to changing the world, she proved that everything is possible.
“I don’t want to live like everybody. I know what I want. I want to change my life.”
Diyora Keldiyorova (UZB) with coach Marko Spittka at the Paris Olympic Games, 2024.
An IJF and Olympics.com collaboration, watch the full story in this heart-felt record of a unique route to the top of Olympic sport under social conditions that many of us do not have to consider. History and tradition are challenged here in a way that still honours both. It’s intelligent, emotional and honest. Click below: