Maria Suelen Altheman Is Silver-Awarded While Rafael Silva Wins Bronze in the World Championships 2014
After winning four medals - a gold, a silver and two bronzes-, Brazil finished in the third place within the medals chart.
The heavyweight Brazilians showed, once again, the strength of the category and won two medals for Brazil, repeating the last year’s performance, on Saturday, August 30th, 2014 in Chelyabinsk 2014 World Judo Championships. Maria Suelen Altheman reached again the decision against the Cuban Idalys Ortiz in which she took the silver. Rafael Silva faced the current seven times world champion Teddy Riner in the semifinals and the Brazilian was defeated. He resumed competing for the bronze against the Dutch Roy Meyer and so he secured his place on the podium for having a punishment less than his opponent. David Moura reached the semifinals but he did not resist the Japanese Ryu Shichinohe and he also went to the fight for bronze. Fighting against a home opponent who was even taller than him, David was defeated by the Russian Renat Saidov and got the fifth place in his first participation in World Championships.
With two medals on the final day of the competition, Brazil finished the competition in the third place within the medals chart, behind Japan and France and ahead of Cuba and Georgia. President Paulo Wanderley Teixeira awarded the medals to the following heavy athletes: Idalys Ortiz, Maria Suelen Altheman, Megumi Tachimoto and Emile Andeol; Teddy Riner, Ryu Shichinohe, Renat Saidov and Rafael Silva.
Maria Suelen Altheman had a fantastic start. After just one minute and 22 seconds of fight, she applied an ippon to Larisa Ceric from Bosnia. In the second fight, against the German Franziska Konitz, she got a yuko in the first 30 seconds, one minute after a wazari and an ippon 20 seconds later because of an immobilization subsequent the blow. In the semifinal, she imposed her fighting against the Japanese Megumi Tachimoto, whom she had never defeated before. Eager and trying to apply blows all the time, she made her opponent be punished and so she ensured her place in the final. The decision was against Idalys Ortiz, the Olympic champion in London 2012, but this time Sussu could not win against the Cuban. In over a minute of fight, she suffered ippon and she got the silver for the second time in World Judo Championships, proving to be among the best of her generation.
Rafael Silva made use of his size and strength to control his opponents and preferred not to risk too much. He won three out of five fights against the German Andre Breitbarth, the Egyptian Islam El Shehaby and against the Dutch Meyer, the latter being in the contention for bronze due to a difference in punishments. Against Marius Paskevicius (LTU) he applied a wazari but in the fight against Teddy Riner he eventually lost by a strangulation.
"I think it was an important competition in which I got one more medal in my career. I managed to fight against new opponent as well as athletes who are preparing for the 2016 cycle. The great example is this Japanese judoka on whom they are counting for this new cycle, “Baby said.”It's a shame having lost the semifinal against Riner, but the medal shows that the job is being well done. The Japanese judoka is an example that shows than Riner can really be defeated. So all I have to do is working for one more year and trying to do my best in the coming World Judo Championship." Rafael concluded, noting that Shichinohe managed to project Riner and he almost got a score and a victory over the French. Riner, now seven times world champion, participated in 67 fights in which he was undefeated.
David Moura also did a very good performance in the World Championship, considering that he was a new comer in this competition. He needed just 17 seconds to win over the Ukrainian Stanislav Bondarenko (UKR) by ippon. In the final octaves, he defeated the Mongolian Temuulen Battulga (MGL) by an ippon after immobilizing his opponent, despite having been projected himself by wazari. In the contention against the Dutch Meyer, who will have nightmares with Brazilians because he lost to Rafael Silva in the round for bronze, David won by a penalty. In the semifinal against Ryu Shichinohe, he missed the victory. David came out winning by a wazari but he failed to secure the lead and suffered two wazaris. In the contention for bronze, he could not fit his blow against the Russian Renat Saidov and he finished in the fifth in the World Judo Championships.
The 2007 world champion, Luciano Correa won in his debut but he could not resist the Czech Lukas Krpalek, who would become champion, and said goodbye to the World Judo Championships 2014 in the second round. Rochele Nunes could not win the fight against the Turkish Gulsah Kocaturk either and lost her first fight.
Closing the Chelyabinsk 2014 World Judo Championship, the competition by teams will be held this Sunday, August 31st. The women will face Poland in the first round whereas the men will compete against France. The qualifiers start at 1 am and the finals at 8 am, Brasília time.
