Ketleyn Quadros and Maria Portela Got the Fifth Place in the Grand Slam of Baku

On Sunday, Rafael Buzacarini (100kg), Samanta Soares (78kg) and Rochele Nunes (+ 78kg) Are the Last Brazilian Athletes Who Fight in Azerbaijan.

Brazil reached the two fights for medals on the second day of the Grand Slam of Baku. Ketleyn Quadros (63kg) and Maria Portela (70kg) competed for the bronze against the Dutch Anicka Van Endem and the French Marie Eve Gahie respectively, but they got eventually immobilized and reached the 5th place in Azerbaijan. Both scored 100 points for the world ranking. On Sunday, Rafael Buzacarini (100kg), Samanta Soares (78kg) and Rochele Nunes (+ 78kg) are the last Brazilian athletes who participate in this GS. 

"It was my first Grand Slam in this category and I managed to make good fights against strong athletes. I'm a little sad for not getting the medal, because I’ve been training so very hard. Anyway, this is a new opportunity to improve," Ketleyn said.

Ketleyn Quadros had an impressive start, scoring ippons against the Spanish Isabel Puche and Hannah Martin from the US. In the quarter-finals, she scored two yukos against the Austrian Kathrin Unterwurzacher, who would end up with the gold medal, but she suffered an ippon. But in the repechage, she pulled herself together and managed to beat the Russian Marta Labazina by wazari. In the bronze dispute, she faced Anicka Van Endem, number one seed, and made a balanced fight. In the last minute of the fight, she got immobilized by her opponent and suffered the ippon, getting the fifth place.

She had a very similar performance to that of Maria Portela, who began winning the fight against the Canadian Monika Burgess thanks to an ippon performed in the first 30 seconds of fight. In the quarter-finals, she suffered two penalties against only one of the Austrian Bernadette Graf and went to repechage, when she defeated the German Szaundra Diedrich by difference of punishment. In the bronze decision, Marie Eve Gahie, one of the biggest promises of the French judo, prevailed her fight and managed to project and immobilize Portela by ippon.

Also in the middleweight category, Barbara Timo needed only one minute to win her first match of the Grand Slam against Valida Mirzazada by ippon. After that, she got one wazari and a yuko against the German Iljana Marzok. But in the quarter-finals, she failed to defeat the French Marie Eve Gahie. In the repechage, she had to face the strong Linda Bolder, the Dutch judoka who defends Israel, and eventually she suffered the ippon, finishing in the seventh place.

On half-middleweight, the same category as Ketleyn’s, Mariana Silva won the fight against Stefanie Tremblay (CAN) for having a punishment less, and in the first 58 seconds of fight, she got the ippon against the Austrian Magdalena Krssakova. But in the quarterfinals,she failed to impose her judo and was defeated by ippon by the German Martyna Trajdos, vice-champion of the category. In the repechage, she eventually lost the fight by wazari applied by the Polish Agata Ozdoba and so she got the seventh position.

As for the men’s team, the Brazilians failed to reach the competition by medals. Nevertheless, Leandro Guilheiro performed well. He defeated the Portuguese Carlos Luz, number 34 in the world ranking, in the first fight thanks to a difference of punishments and then he overcame the head-key number one, the American Travis Stevens for having fewer Shidos. But in the eights, he didn’t manage to win the clash against the Romanian Cristian Bordilau.

Marcelo Contini  started the GS winning Cedric Bessi from Monaco by ippon but in the second round, he did not resist the Mongolian Tsagaanbaatar Khashbaatar and was defeated by a yuko. On Sunday, there will be more three Brazilians in action. Rafael Buzacarini (100kg), Samanta Soares (78kg) and Rochele Nunes (+ 78kg) ending the Brazilian participation in Azerbaijan. The first block starts at 2 am and the final at 9 am. SporTV 3 and Esporte Interativo broadcast the competition by medals.