Andreja Leski ends her journey on Olympic gold

Slovenia’s Olympic champion Andreja Leski has officially called time on her career. A month ago she left a small question mark hanging in the air. Now there is no doubt. Paris 2024 was the final act.

On the eve of the European Open in Ljubljana, Leski confirmed what many suspected. No comeback. No Los Angeles cycle. She walks away as Olympic champion.

The Koper story

Leski’s story started in Koper, aged five, following her cousin into the dojo. Nothing glamorous. Just a kid on the tatami. Her international debut came in 2013 at the European Cup in Belgrade. Fifth place at -52kg. Solid, not spectacular. The rise was steady, layer by layer.

The first real World Tour breakthrough came in 2016 with bronze in Ulaanbaatar. In 2018 she struck gold in Düsseldorf and made it clear she belonged. Over time she collected four IJF World Tour gold medals, building a reputation as one of Slovenia’s most reliable competitors.

Unlike Olympic champions Urska Zolnir and Tina Trstenjak, Leski did not simply follow an existing template. She carved her own path with Judo Klub Bežigrad and coach Luka Kuralt, working between club and national centre in Ljubljana. Different route, same destination.

Her big continental moment came in 2023 with European gold in Montpellier at -63kg. On the world stage she stacked medals: bronze in 2021 and 2023, plus two World Championship silvers after finals against Clarisse Agbegnenou. That rivalry defined a chapter of her career.

Then came Paris

She was not the overwhelming favourite. No dominant season. No wave of gold medals behind her. But when it mattered, she delivered. In the Olympic semi-final she finally beat Agbegnenou, who had defeated her five times before. That win changed everything. From there, she rode the momentum all the way to Olympic gold.

That is how narratives flip. That is how careers are sealed.

Off the mat, Leski remains grounded. Motorbike rides. Board games. Reading. Xbox. An Economics graduate who speaks Slovenian, English and Italian. No lucky rituals. No drama. Just preparation and belief.

The question was never about age. It was about hunger. About whether she wanted another four-year grind towards Los Angeles 2028. The answer is no. The mental cost of another Olympic cycle is real. She knows it. She chooses to leave on top.

With Žolnir, Trstenjak and Leski, Slovenia achieved something unique: three Olympic gold medals in the same weight category across different Games. That is not a coincidence. That is culture.

Leski steps away as Olympic champion. No fade-out. No slow decline. Just gold and goodbye.

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