After Being Bronze-Awarded at the Grand Slam from Paris, Rafaela Silva Takes the First Position in the World Ranking

There are again four Brazilian athletes leading their weight categories, since Rafael Silva has also came back to the top of the heavy whereas Sarah Menezes and Mayra Aguiar kept their positions.

The latest update of the world rankings has been very favorable for Brazil. The country had again four athletes on the top of their respective categories. The youngest leader is the world champion from 2013, Rafaela Silva, who after scoring 200 points thanks to her bronze medal from the Grand Slam of, could overtake the German Miryam Roper and the French Automne Pavia.

“I think I am a little bit more demanded because of being a world champion and now leader of the ranking. But this also increases my self- confidence of knowing that I am on top of such a disputed category. The changes in leadership show it. Now I have to train well to compete well and try to keep myself first. This is my new goal for this year, “Rafaela said.

She joins Rafael Silva (+100 kg), Sarah Menezes (48kg) and Mayra Aguiar (78kg). Even without competing in the Grand Slam, the heavyweight Brazilian athlete could keep his position because the six-time world champion Teddy Riner did not compete either and therefore he lost 50 % from the score got as a consequence of his title in 2013. Rafael Silva has now 2090 points against the French’s 1900. And Baby still has a chance to add some more points in the Grand Prix from Dusseldorf, his first competition of the year.

\"It\'s always good to be the first in the ranking because of the opponents’ respect for you. But my biggest concern is defeating Teddy Riner in direct confrontation. I\'m training hard for the upcoming competitions and, of course, for the next one, \"Rafael said.

Even among the heavy, Brazil has two athletes in the top ten. David Moura, who scored over 300 points in the rankings because of his silver in the French tournament, climbed from the seventh to the sixth place. Walter Santos, who is recovering from his injury, is now in the ninth place.

The Olympic champion Sarah Menezes also held her top position but the gap to the second placed, the Mongol Urantsetseg Munkhbat, silver medal at the Grand Slam from Paris, decreased to only 86 points. Similar to Mayra Aguiar, who is also the first in the rankings even if she has not been competing since the World Championship from Rio de Janeiro held in September, last year. But unlike Sarah, the distance to the second-place Abigel Joo (HUN), increased by 20 points.

Another important change in the qualification of the Brazilians was the male lightweight category. Since he did not manage to repeat the performance in the Grand Slam from Paris – he was silver in 2013 - Bruno Mendonça (73kg) fell from the 13^th to 19^th place and now he is the second Brazilian better placed in the category, behind Alex Pombo, who occupies the 17^th place. Pombo will compete in the European from Oberwart - as Bruno Mendonça - and Grand Prix from Dusseldorf in order to try climbing a little more in the ranking.

“The importance of being the first Brazilian ranked in my category is the priority in being convoked to competitions such as the World Championship and the Pan-American one. And being in these competitions is one of my goals for this year. I want to enjoy these upcoming competitions to show my work, add more points and be among the world\'s top 16 to go to the World Masters, the year’s second most important competition. \" said Alex Pombo.

Brazil has also three judokas placed in second. Charles Chibana decreased slightly the difference to the first one, the Mongolian Tumurkhuleg Davaadorj, which is now 396 points. In the same category, Luiz Revite decreased one position and he is now the 15^th.

Erika Miranda also remains in the second place but the gap to the leader of the ranking Majlinda Kelmendi (KOS) increased. Jaana Sundberg (FIN), vice-champion in Paris, is now in the third place. Among the half- lightweight athletes, Eleudis Valentine also appears in a good position and she is on the 17^th. In the female heavyweight, Maria Suelen Altheman is behind the current World and Olympic champion, the Cuban Idalys Ortiz.

Ketleyn Quadros (57kg), who goes to the contention from Rome and the European Grand Prix from Dusseldorf, fell one place and is now in the eighth. And Mariana Barros is the best-placed Brazilian in the half middleweight category, occupying the ninth place, the same she had in the previous update. The other two athletes of the selection in her category are Katherine Campos (16^th) and Mariana Silva (23^rd). In the middleweight category, Maria Portela returned to the Olympic qualification zone (up to 14^th place) after climbing two places since the last update: from the 15^th to the 13^th place. Nadia Merli is on the 17^th and Barbara Timo on the 20^th.

Among the male athletes, Felipe Kitadai ( 60kg ) remained in sixth and Diego Santos ( 60kg ) fell two places to no. 14^th . In final stage of recovery from his surgery, Victor Penalber remained on the third. In the middleweight category, Tiago Camilo, who is also recovering from an injury, is the best-placed Brazilian: now in the 14^th place.

In the half heavyweight category, Brazil remained with three athletes in the Olympic qualification zone (up to 22 ^th position in the world ranking): Renan Nunes in the 13^th, Luciano Correa in the 19^th and Rafael Buzacarini in the 22^nd. Hugo Pessanha was the Brazilian who most climbed in the rankings, gaining six positions: from the 38^th he got to the 32^nd.