Driton Kuka in interview for the European Federation of Judo, talks about “Paris 2024”

There he spoke of the journey for the Paris 2024 Olympics, writes The Express.

There is much good news for Judah Kosovo these days. Dritton, how happy are you with the current situation just before the IJF World Tour 2023?

I'm very happy now and I'm confident that next season will be a good season for us. The post-Goto Krasniqi district passed into the -52kg category, and within a year it was able to become top-three sportsmen. It drew very close to the main stars Uta Abe (JPN) and Amandaie Buckard (FRA). Both are extraordinary athletes. Distria still needs some time to adjust. But she won her first year Masters title, as well as bronze medals of the World and European Championships. The weight difference is not so easy, you have to face different athletes, they're all heavier and stronger. You must adjust your training and physical form. I am absolutely positive that Distria will be a strong medal contender for the Paris 2024 Olympics. That's great news.

What about Tokyo Olympic gold medal winner Nora Gjakova?

Nora was out because of an operation on the shoulder for about six months and she returned very strong, winning two medals in the Grand Slam tournaments. Okay, she won no title in 2022, but -57kg is a really tough category with a lot of good athletes that they can win. I call him a killer category! So Nora can be proud too. For both Olympic champions, Distria and Nora, we will not postpone per cent this year. It has more to do with technical, tactical, and physical improvement. Paris 2024 is the ultimate goal for both. We want to win medals like Rio and Tokyo, no matter what color. For Kosovo every Olympic medal would shine gold after we have 1,500 jungles and a population of only 1.8 million. Paris is our top priority. But surely the World Championship in Doha will be the peak of 2023.

Who else on your team (except Distria and Nora) should be able to achieve high scores this year?

Before the Rio 2016 Olympics, we had two best athletes, ahead of Tokyo five. We are growing and improving constantly. Laura Fazliu (-63kg) is an athlete to watch. She won a silver medal at the Masters in Jerusalem, she certainly has great potential. But it still needs to change its mentality. Now it is in professional business, no longer in categories below 18, under 21 or under 23. Laura may win a World Championship medal in Doha, but she may also lose her first war. Majlinda is working hard with him. To remember Loriana Kuka (78kg) and Akil Gjakova (-73kg), Brother Noras. Like his sister, he's just returning from an injury pause. We have as many as 15 seniors on the team, which is not bad. We deserve to win many world tournament medals. And in Los Angeles 2028 we will definitely qualify for the Mixed Team competition. To Paris I would be surprised if we qualified as a team four years later shouldn't be a problem. We're currently working with 50 athletes from the cadets to the elderly on a daily basis. I am absolutely positive that we will be successful for the next 20 years. Thanks to the COSOVO JUDO NATION program, we are in a fine position. After three years we will welcome the best athletes to our new training center. This will be the next important step.

You got a lot of job offers after Rio and especially after Tokyo. Is a coach's job in a foreign country a personal option for you?

I love my country. And it's fantastic to see Judah Kosovar growing constantly. I like to share my work with my assistant trainers. I can easily promise you, I won't have any problems if trainers like Majlinda are one day more successful than I am. I mean, if that happens, I'll celebrate in the tribuna. Or home before the TV. I can't see myself as the coach of a foreign country.

After Tokyo you spoke sincerely about the need to slow down a little bit. How do you feel now? Would you say that you now have more time for your family and friends, that your work-life balance has improved since then?

At the Masters in Tokyo, one of my assistants asked me: You're not enjoying our medals anymore? Of course I still have it, I'm as exciting as I used to be, but I'm not as stressed as I used to be. I'm learning to delegate my job and share my homework. My work style became healthier no doubt. Stress for me means traveling, not being on the ground. I must travel less than before Tokyo.