Brazil Fights for Medals in Two Categories on the Second Day of the Havana Grand Prix
Marcelo Contini (73kg) and Victor Penalber (81kg) finish their participation in the fifth place after losing the bronze-worth fight.
The second day of fighting at the Grand Prix of Havana, Cuba, was disputed by the men’s lightweight (73kg) and half middleweight (81kg) and the women’s half middleweight (63kg) and middleweight (70kg). Altogether there were five Brazilians who went into action. Marcelo Contini (73kg) and Victor Penalber (81kg) who competed for the bronze medal in their categories, and Leandro Cunha (73kg), Katherine Campos (63kg) and Barbara Timo (70kg), who did not reach the fight by medals.
In the first round, Marcelo Contini defeated the Georgian Lasha Shavdatuashvili, but did not repeat his performance against the Cuban Magdiel Estrada. The Brazilian had the opportunity to get the bronze medal and the first fight of the repechage, he overcame the Cuban Cristian Recio and qualified to for the bronze contention. After a hard combat, the Brazilian lightweight athlete could not overcome the Georgian Nugzari Tatalashvili and finished on the fifth position.
Victor Penalber did compete well. The judoka won the fight against the Cuban Jorge Martinez and the Georgian Ushangi Margiani in the eliminating rounds, reaching the semifinal. Penalber did not manage to defeat the American Travis Stevens and went to the repechage in search for the bronze. Victor was defeated by the Russian Murat Khabachirov and got in the fifth place.
In his debut in the lightweight category (73kg), Leandro Cunha took part in four fights. In the first stage of competition he overcame Randish Hernandez from Cuba and Kiyoshi Uematsu from Spain, but he eventually lost to the Georgian Nugzari Tatalashvili and went to repechage, where he was defeated by the Russian Musa Mogushkov, leaving the competition in the seventh place.
Katherine Campos (63kg) and Barbara Timo (70kg) lost their first fight and did not continue in the competition. Katherine faced Mia Hermansson from Sweden and Barbara fought against Klys Katarzyna from Poland.
This Sunday, June 8th, Brazil will have the chance to win four medals in the competition - the first day there were three of them (two silvers and one bronze) – with Tiago Camilo(90kg), the Renan Nunes(100kg), Hugo Pessanha(100kg) and Walter Santos(+100 kg).
