Judokas from Brazil have won 226 international medals in 2009

The Brazilian judo can count its success for the 2009 season. The judokas from the country have gone up the podium nothing less than 226 times in international competitions, South American and Pan American Championships and World events. There were 131 gold medals, 48 silver and 47 bronze. Sarah Menezes, who is only 19 years old and was voted the best Olympic Athlete of 2009 by the Brazilian Olympic Committee, won nine medals throughout the year: gold at the World Junior and World Cup in Lisbon and Madrid, silver at the World Cup in Belo Horizonte and bronze at the Grand Slam in Rio de Janeiro, Tokyo and at the Pan American Seniors.

In the base categories, another proof of the work being done for the renovations on the tatamis: there were on gold meal and one bronze and the World Junior and one gold and two silver and two bronze medals at the World Youth.

Amongst the main athletes of the world, another good performance for Brazil: 15 medals in Grand Slam, the main competition promoted by the International Judo Federation, 11 places to dispute the Masters in Korea (that gathers 16 of the best positioned judokas of each category of the World Ranking) and 10 Olympic spots, if the decision for the Olympic Games in London was made today.