Judo Giants Keep an Eye on the World Championships Title
The heavyweight category will be among the world championship’s most contended ones. Rafael Silva and Maria Suelen Altheman are the Brazilian representatives on the mat at Maracanãzinho
Whoever may believe the heavyweight category lacks athletes with a good technique is wrong. The world judo championship, which takes place from August 26th to September 1st, at the Maracanãzinho from Rio de Janeiro, will be an excellent opportunity to prove that, when it comes to judo, strength and technique can be perfectly combined.
The heavyweight category (100kg +) will fight on August 31st. Among the leading male names is the French Teddy Riner, the Olympic gold-awarded in London and one of the biggest names of the recent judo history, the Brazilian Rafael Silva, the leader in the world ranking and bronze-awarded at the last Olympics, Adam Okruashvili, the judoka from Georgia, and the German Andreas Tolzer, the bronze medalist in London.
\"This will be my first world championship at home. In 2007 (the last World Championships held in Rio de Janeiro), the crowd was very important for the performance and this year it will not be different, “Rafael Paiva says.
\"I think that some athletes, such as Teddy Riner, Adam Okruashvili and Sung-Min Kim stand out, but I think there is no favorite. All fights are difficult, “Rafael analyzes.
It is worth mentioning Teddy Riner’s curriculum. Current Olympic champion, the French is a true phenomenon of this sport. Since 2009, the judoka has been defeated only once. Apart from his gold in London, the athlete won also a bronze at Beijing Games, five world titles as a professional and two more as a junior, not to mention the titles at Grand Slams and continental tournaments. He has got all this and he is only 24 years old. Despite this enviable background, Riner will have to face some challenges in his category, Rafael Silva being one of them; our judoka is very successful and he will fight at home.
\"All judokas train to defeat Teddy Riner, he is a reference. But I will be fighting at home, with the fans’ support. I\'m sure this will be an advantage if we fight against each other, \"concludes Rafael Paiva.
Among women, the dispute will be as fierce as the men’s fights. Brazil is again among the favorites. The judoka from São Paulo, Maria Suelen Altheman, will represent Brazil in the heavyweight (+78 kg) category. She is the current leader of the world ranking, a position won thanks to her performance from last month\'s Grand Slam from Russia. On that occasion, our athlete defeated the Cuban athlete, Idalyz Ortiz, who got the gold medal at the London Games. The current Olympic champion is another judoka who will be fighting for the championship’s title. Apart from them, the Japanese Megumi Tachimoto and the Slovenian Lucija Polavavder are among the favorites as well.
\"The Brazilian crowd will be in our advantage for sure. My whole family will be there supporting me, we have to charter a bus to take the people from São Paulo to Rio, “Maria Suelen laughs.
\"Whoever takes part in the world championships is a good athlete, then there is not much favoritism, but I consider Idalyz Ortiz and Megumi Tachimoto my main opponents; they are very well-prepared,\" Maria Suelen Altheman says.
The tickets for the World Judo Championship will be for free. If you want to get a seat in the stands from Maracanãzinho, just visit the event’s website and book your own. Then, you will receive, by email, a confirmation of your reservation, which you must take with you the day of the fight. You can have up to three tickets.
