Brazil Spreads Again Its Hegemony with 13 Medals in the Pan-American Sports Festival
After winning five gold, four silver and four bronze medals, the Brazilian team led the medals chart of the competition in Mexico.
This weekend, Brazil showed again its strength across the American continent by winning 13 medals in the Pan-American Judo Sports Festival, an event organized by ODEPA, in the city of Pachuca, Mexico. The Brazilian athletes won five gold, four silver and four bronze medals and led the medals chart. Cuba was second placed with four golds, three silvers and three bronzes and the emerging Venezuela with two golds, one silver and three bronzes.
"It was a good result because we saw young athletes fighting as if they were very experienced in international competitions. The interaction between the new-comers and the experienced ones was fundamental in order to get this result. We were a real team, "said Amadeu Moura, head of the delegation.
The Pan-American Sports Festival is a preparation stage before Toronto 2015 Pan American Games and Rio 2016 Olympic Games. ODEPA’s purpose is to provide a competitive environment of high technical level as well as clinics and courses for coaches and athletes.
The Brazilian show at the Convention Center Tuzoforum began on Saturday with five finals. About 500 people saw the gold medals won by Eric Takatabake (60kg), Katsuhiro Eduardo Barbosa (73kg) and Eleudis Valentim (52kg) and the silver awarded to Marcelo Fuzita (66kg) and Vinicius Panini (81kg). the young Gabriela Chibana (48kg) and Manoella Braga (57kg) won the bronze and reached also on the podium.
On Sunday the seven heaviest categories stepped on tatamis and the Brazilian performance stayed at a high level by taking part in four more finals and winning six medals. The gold went to Eduardo Bettoni (90kg) and Renan Nunes (100kg), the silver to Samanta Soares (78kg) and Walter Santos (100kg +) and the bronze to Erika Ferreira (63kg) and Claudirene Cezar (78kg +).
"The competition’s level was similar to the Pan American Championships of this year. At least in my category there were the same athletes. It was an interesting competition because it had the training before the competition, "Renan said and he would face the world vice-champion in the big decision, but Jose Armenteros ended up getting injured in the semifinal and so he did not compete in the final fight.
The next appointment of the national team is in Brazil. The men's team faces Japan in the International Challenge in Sao Paulo, held on 28th September at 10 am, at the Bradesco Theatre in Sao Paulo. In World Tour, the team participates in the Grand Prix of Astana, Kazakhstan, 10th -12th of October. Astana is the host city of the 2015 World Championship.
