Rafaela Silva Is Bronze Awarded in the Grand Slam of Tokyo

Sarah Menezes (48kg) and Erika Miranda got the fifth place. On the second day of competition, there will be two more Brazilians fighting in the year’s last competition.

Brazil has already won a medal in the Grand Slam of Tokyo on the first day of the competition. Rafaela Silva defeated her Romanian counterpart Corina Caprioriu in the bronze dispute and got the third place in the traditional Japanese competition. The athlete from Rio won four fights and was defeated only by the Portuguese Telma Monteiro in the semifinals. Sarah Menezes (48kg) and Erika Miranda (52kg) finished in fifth place.

Rafaela Silva started the GS with a win over the Dutch Sanne Verhagen by yuko. In the 8th-finals, she overcame the Russian Irina Zabludina by wazari. In the quarter-finals, she met the Japanese Nae Udaka, world champion in Chelyabinsk. And Rafaela dominated the fight forcing her opponent get three penalties, reaching the semifinals. In the competition to reach the final, another hard opponent ahead: the current world vice-champion Telma Monteiro from Portugal. But this time, Rafaela could not impose her fight and ended up being defeated for having one punishment more. In the fight for the bronze medal, she defeated Corina Caprioriu by wazari.

Sarah Menezes (48kg) started winning the fight against the Japanese Funa Tonaki by two yukos but in the quarter-finals she was defeated herself by the Russian Alesya Kuznetsova by ippon. In repechage, she won over the Ukrainian Maryna Cherniak by a yuko. In the bronze dispute in she led a very balanced fight; however, she was eventually defeated by the South Korean Jeong Bo Kyeong.

Erika Miranda had a very similar outcome. She defeated Laura Gomez (SPA) by yuko, but was defeated by Ai Shishime in a balanced confrontation for having one punishment more. In repechage, she overcame Gulbadam Babamuratova from Turkmenistan, due to a difference of penalties. Against the Japanese Misato Nakamura, in the bronze dispute, she started it very well and got a wazari. But in the last minute of the fight, she ended up suffering the ippon and finished in fifth place.

Regarding the male athletes’ performance, Felipe Kitadai (60kg), Eric Takabatake (60kg) and Charles Chibana (66kg) did not manage to get in the final block. On the second day of competition, Brazil will be represented by Alex Pombo (73kg) and Victor Penalber (81kg). The fights start at 10 pm Brazil time and the final block at 4 am on Saturday. SporTV broadcasts the competition.