Lelio Puggina and Thais Kondo Are Gold Awarded, Layana Colman is Silver and Leonardo Arruda Gets the Bronze Medal in Lima

All the Brazilians judokas who competed in the South American Youth Games won a medal

The judo competition in the South American Youth Games started today and the four Brazilian representatives reached the podium. In the Peruvian capital, Lelio Puggina (Minas Tenis Clube / MG) became the champion of the up-to-66kg category and Thais Kondo (Judo Lemanczuk / PR) could not be stopped by any of her adversaries and reached the highest position of the podium in the 44kg-category .

\"I\'m very pleased to have won this medal in the end of my competition year. It shows that the work is being well-done. It is gratifying to know that my efforts are being rewarded, \"said Lelio.

Among the up-to -52kg athletes, Layana Colman (Judo Rocha / MS) reached the final, but she was defeated and won the silver medal, as it happened in the World Cadet Championships two months ago. Leonardo Arruda (Jequiá /Umbra / RJ) completed the 100% success of the young Brazilians on the podium, and left the competition with the bronze prize.

\"I\'m very sad because I wanted so much to win this competition. But I am aware that this defeat showed me the mistakes I\'m making, and I will continue training hard, more focused in order to improve, \"Layana said.

The South-American Youth Games are part of the strategic planning of the South American Sports Organization (Odesur) for sports development within the region. The event is fully aligned with the Olympic Youth Games, following the same sports program, age, and philosophy to strengthen the sport by stimulating the culture and promoting the respect and education among young people.