RIO DE JANEIRO — Majlinda Kelmendi won Kosovo’s first Olympic medal on Sunday, taking gold in the women’s 52-kilogram judo division.

The top-ranked Kelmendi, the young country’s best-known athlete, was the favorite heading into the competition. She scored only once against Odette Giuffrida in the final, but it was enough to beat the Italian.

“To be honest, I came here for the gold medal, but it’s crazy,” Kelmendi said. “This is the first time that Kosovo is part of the Olympics, and for the first time, I think gold is huge.”

After her win was announced, Kelmendi hugged Giuffrida and then walked off the mat in tears. Wearing a blue uniform – one that matched many of the Kosovo flags being waved in the arena – a teary Kelmendi waved to the crowd and raised her arms.

Kelmendi has struggled for years to represent her country, which declared independence from Serbia in 2008.

At the 2012 London Games, she represented Albania because Kosovo was not recognized by the International Olympic Committee until 2014.

CHINA’S BID for a gold in shooting seemed to take a hit when a two-time defending gold medalist failed to qualify. But Zhang Mengxue picked up the slack, earning China’s fourth air pistol gold in the last five Games. China has dominated the air rifle and pistol shooting events at the Olympics, earning nine gold medals since the 2000 Sydney Games.

A DAY AFTER gruesomely breaking his left leg while vaulting during men’s preliminaries, French gymnast Samir Air Said posted a Facebook video from his hospital bed, thanking people for their support and pledging to shoot for Tokyo in 2020. Said had surgery to repair his fibula and tibia, which he fractured while trying to land a vault.

ROWING: Sunday’s competition was called off after a two-hour delay when the choppy seas didn’t let up. Race officials said winds gusting up to 34 mph (15 meters per second) pushed buoys into the lanes and capsized two boats during morning practice.

THE BULLET that flew through the roof of a media tent at the Olympic Equestrian Center on Saturday came from a nearby slum, according to a Brazilian official.

A large bullet pierced the roof of the tent and landed on the floor. The competition was not disrupted and nobody was hurt.