Judo world champion Majlinda Kelmendi won Kosovo's first ever gold medal in the country's maiden Olympics here Sunday.

Kelmendi defeated Italy's Odette Giuffrida by yuko in the final of the women's 52kg category. Japan's Misato Nakamura and Russia's Natalia Kuziutina won the bronze medals.

Kosovo is a former Serbian province populated by nearly 1.8 million people, over 90 percent of which are Kosovo Albanians.

The country declared its independence on Feb. 17, 2008 and is recognized by about 110 countries, including the U.S., the U.K., France, Germany and Turkey.