Leandro Guilheiro and Marcelo Contini Are Called to the World Judo Championship Astana 2015
The athletes will replace the injured Rafael Silva and Alex Pombo that cannot recover in time for the contest.
The Brazilian Judo Confederation confirmed on Tuesday the convocation of Leandro Guilheiro (81kg / EC Pinheiros / SP) and Marcelo Contini (73kg / EC Pinheiros / SP) to compete in the World Judo Championship Astana 2015 which will be held between August 24th and August 30th in the capital of Kazakhstan. On August 12th, the delegation boards for a period of acclimatization in Paris. They were summoned in order to replace the Olympic awarded Rafael Silva and the Pan-American champion Alex Pombo who got injured. "Baby" was injured in the chest upper right muscle during a routine training and underwent a surgery on June 30th. Alex Pombo injured the lateral collateral ligament in his right knee during the bronze medal contention at the Pan American Games and will follow a proper treatment, with no surgery, before being again evaluated.
"Marcelo Contini is the second best ranked athlete within his category whereas Guilheiro can bring to the team’s benefit all his experience and success story. The competition will be at a very high level because all the main athletes who will compete in the Olympic Games will be in Astana. It's a big test for the whole team, "said Ney Wilson, the Performance Director.
Leandro Guilheiro won two medals in Olympic Games and two in World Judo Championships. He won bronze at the Athens 2004 Games and Beijing 2008. He became vice-champion at the World Judo Championships Tokyo 2010 and won bronze in Paris the following year. In 2015, he was silver awarded at the European Open in Warsaw and bronze in the Open Pan-American Montevideo. He is currently 67th placed in the world ranking with 220 points.
"I will fight in this World Judo Championship as if it were my first," Guilheiro said who, apart from the 2010 and 2011 editions, competed in the Cairo 2005 World Judo Championship.
Marcelo Contini is 26 years old and has in his background three medals in Grand Slams: silver in Tyumen last year, bronze in Baku in 2013 and gold in Rio de Janeiro in 2012. He is 40th positioned in the world ranking due to his 448 points.
"Being called to replace an injured mate is not what I’ve wanted. But I've been training hard, I’ve just come back from the Grand Slam of Tyumen and I am prepared for this challenge. It will be my first World Judo Championship and I hardly wait for a great competition, "Contini said.
Besides them, the men's team will consist of Felipe Kitadai (60kg/Sogipa/RS), Eric Takabatake (60kg/EC Pinheiros/SP), Charles Chibana (66kg/EC Pinheiros/SP), Victor Penalber (81kg/JC Instituto Reação/RJ), Tiago Camilo (90kg/EC Pinheiros/SP), Luciano Correa (100kg/Minas TC/MG) e David Moura (+100kg/ JC Instituto Reação/RJ).
The female athletes who were called are the following: Sarah Menezes (48kg), Nathália Brigida (48kg/Minas TC/MG), Érika Miranda (52kg/Minas TC/MG), Rafaela Silva (57kg/JC Instituto Reação/RJ), Mariana Silva (63kg/Minas TC/MG), Maria Portela (70kg/Sogipa/RS), Mayra Aguiar (78kg/Sogipa/RS), Maria Suelen Altheman (+78kg/AJ Rogério Sampaio/SP) e Rochele Nunes (+78kg/Sogipa/RS).
Check out the athletes’ profile:
Full name: Marcelo Garcia Contini
Category: Lightweight (73kg)
Height: 179cm
Weight: 73kg
Born: 20/04/1989 in Campinas - SP
Club: EC Pinheiros - SP
Preferred technique: Uchi-mata
Kumikata: Right-handed
Main results: Champion at Rio 2012 Grand Slam; Silver awarded at Tyumen 2014 Grand Slam; Bronze at Baku 2013 Grand Slam; Bronze at Shenzhen 2011 Universiade; twice South American champion (Paladines 2011 and Santiago 2012).
Full name: Leandro Marques Guilheiro
Category: Half Middleweight (81kg)
Height: 176cm
Weight: 81kg
Born: 07/08/1983 in Suzano - SP
Club: EC Pinheiros - SP
Preferred technique: Uchi-mata
Kumikata: Right0handed
Main results: Bronze at Athens 2004 Olympic Games in and Beijing 2008; Silver at Tokyo 2010 World Judo Championship; bronze at Paris 2011 World Judo Championship; silver at Baku 2011 World Masters; gold at Rio 2011 and Paris 2010 Grand Slams; silver at Tokyo 2011 and Rio 2009 Grand Slams and bronze at Tokyo 2009 and 2010 and Rio 2010 Grand Slams; three times Pan American championship (Buenos Aires 2009, Guadalajara 2011 and Montreal 2012); gold in the Military World Games 2011; World Junior Champion at Jeju in 2002.
