Mayra Aguiar and Charles Chibana Are Leading Again the World Ranking
Only Brazil, Mongolia and Georgia have two athletes leading their categories.
This week’s world ranking updated with the results of the Grand Prix of Dusseldorf and the reducing by half the points scored in the German Grand Prix 2014, brought two good news for Brazil. Even without stepping on the mat, the half-lightweight Charles Chibana and the half- heavyweight Mayra Aguiar came to lead again their categories in the world ranking. The achievements of these Brazilian athletes is even more important since only three countries have two athletes on top of their categories: Brazil, Mongolia (the extra-light Boldbaatar Ganbat and Urantsetseg Munkhbat) and Georgia (the half middleweight Avtandili Tchrikishvili and the middleweight Varlam Liparteliani).
"It is important being well positioned in the ranking if one wants to become head-key in the main competitions of the year. Taking the lead gives an extra motivation to get even better results in 2015, "said the world champion, who is called to the Grand Prix of Samsun in Turkey, held on the last weekend of March.
The athlete from Sogipa took the lead after overcoming the French Audrey Tcheumeo, bronze awarded in Dusseldorf 2014, with only 80 points. The German Luise Malzahn, the Slovenian Anamari Velensek and the North Korean Kyong Sol complete the top five. The American Kayla Harrison, winner of the Grand Prix of Dusseldorf, rose to sixth place.
Chibana already benefited from the fall of Masashi Ebinuma, last year’s champion in Germany. Since he has not competed this year yet, the Japanese dropped to fourth place, behind the Russian Mikhail Pulyaev and the Mongolian Tumurkhuleg Davaadorj. The Ukrainian Georgii Zantaraia complete the top five.
The athletes who did well were the ones who most climbed positions. Who came up most was the extra-light bronze medalist, Phelipe Pelim, who made his first official competition as a senior team member. He climbed no less than 69 positions and he is now the world 77th judoka. Marcelo Contini (73kg), fifth place in Dusseldorf, rose one place to 21st place. Alex Pombo is the best placed Brazilian in his category and he is the 18th. Mariana Silva, who was also fifth in the GP, moved up to 20th place, one more position compared to the last ranking.
Rafaela Silva, gold awarded in Dusseldorf, moved up two places and she is now in the third place in the lightweight. In the same category, Ketleyn Quadros is the 15th. Apart from her, there are five other Brazilian athletes in top five in the world rankings: the heavy Rafael Silva, the lightweight Sarah Menezes and the heavyweight Maria Suelen Altheman are second in their categories; the half-lightweight Erika Miranda is the third and the half middleweight Victor Penalber is fourth.
The world ranking considers the results of the judokas got in the last two years during the competitions of the Federation’s World Tour. The scores achieved in the last 12 months are worth full points, whereas the ones got in the first 12 months 50% of the total.
