Rafael Macedo Is World Junior Champion
The Brazilian made an ippon against the Russian Igolnikov and gets the gold in the half-middleweight category.
The talented Rafael Macedo is the youngest Brazilian world champion. The athlete from the half-middleweight category who trains at Sogipa, immobilized by ippon the Russian Mikhail Igolnikov in the final fight of the category and thus he won the gold. It is Brazil’s third medal at the World Junior Championship held in Fort Laudardale, the United States. On Wednesday, the 1st day of the tournament, Brazil won the silver with Larissa Farias (44kg) and on Thursday, Ricardo Santos Junior (66kg) won the bronze. Rafael is the twelfth junior world champion of Brazil. He joins those who made history in senior judo such as Aurélio Miguel, Sebastian Pereira, Tiago Camilo, Fabiane Hukuda, João Derly, Leandro Guilheiro, Leonardo Eduardo, Sarah Menezes, Rafaela Silva and Mayra Aguiar.
"The feeling of being world champion is very good! It took a while to sink in, but now I am very happy indeed! "the champion stated.
Rafael Macedo, the world number one in the junior ranking of his category, started the competition in the second round defeating the Czech Jiri Petr by wazari. Then, in the eighth-finals, he overcame the Slovak Peter Zilka by yuko, the minimum score. In the final quarters, the athlete from Sogipa made a very tough fight against the Dutch Rico Harder, who had eliminated the Mongolian and the Japanese Gaajadamba Bayanmunkh Seidai Sato. The Brazilian did not manage to project his rival and ended up being punished three times. But when the fight was about to end, in the last 20 seconds, Rafael could make a yuko and got a place in the semifinals.
The athlete from São Paulo stepped the tatami determined to win the fight against the Swedish Jonas Bjorktrop and so he managed to apply him an ippon in the first minute and a half. In the decision, he was losing the fight against Mikhail Igolnikov by a punishment for false attack. But soon after, he managed to throw the opponent by yuko and he kept him so until he got him immobilized.
"The World Judo Championship has a very high level and several athletes are very well prepared. I had some very tough fights, some of them I started by losing, but fortunately I could reverse them. I have trained so hard for it, and thank God, I managed to win this medal for Brazil, "Rafael concluded.
Brazil missed for little another medal in the half-middleweight category. Danielle Karla Oliveira (63kg) made a very balanced dispute against the German Vivian Herrmann in the contention for bronze but could not fit her best judo. Adopting the counter-attack strategy she waited for her opponent’s attacks and ended up being punished twice. Needing a score to turn the confrontation in her favor, she ended by giving a chance to Herrmann who eventually got the ippon and kept the medal.
However, the athlete of Flamengo made an interesting campaign. In the repechage contest she was not afraid by the Russian Diana Dzhigaros, medalist in the European Junior Championships, and achieved ippon with just 15 seconds of fight. Before, she had only been stopped by the British Renshall Lucy in the quarter-finals. Danielle did not manage to show her best judo against Renshall and, in a counterattack, she ended up suffering ippon. But at first she showed her talent. In the first match of the competition, the American Lauren Baez was projected four times, two of which were yuko worthy and two wazari, ending the confrontation. In the eight-finals, she defeated the Mongolian Mungunchimeg Baldoroj by ippon with little more than two minutes of fight.
Eduardo Yudi Santos (81kg) reached the eighth-finals after defeating the South-Korean Moon Jin Lee in the first round, but after this victory he was defeated himself by the Swedish Bjorktorp by ippon in the first three minutes of fighting. Mariana Veiga (70kg) and Thiago Chiodi (90kg) did not pass the first round because they were defeated by Barbara Matic (CRO) and Syerik Byeryedmurat (MGL), respectively.
Ending the individual disputes, Gabriel Souza (100kg / SP), João Cesarino (+ 100kg / RS), Sibilla Faccholli (+ 78kg / SP) and Camila Gebara (+ 78kg / MS) will fight on Saturday, October 25th . On Sunday, October 26th , the competition by teams will be held. The qualifiers will start at noon and the final block at 7 pm GMT.
In the United States, the athletes are led by the Technical Teams Manager, Marcelo Theotônio, the coaches Douglas Vieira and Andrea Berti, the technical adviser Edmilson Guimaraes and by the physiotherapist Gustavo Braga. During the three week-period of training in Sao Paulo before going to the World Junior Championship, the coaching staff has been joined by the physiotherapist Ricardo Amadei, the physical trainer Armando Gonzalez, the psychologist Mariana Correa as well as the nutritionist Patricia Vieira.
