Ranking is updated after Paris and Mayra is World-number-one
For the first time after the World and Olympic Rankings have been created, a Brazilian athlete is on top of the list. Mayra Aguiar, champion on the last Sunday of the Grand Slam, Paris 2012, is world-number- one in Women’s - 78kg. The World Ranking was created in 2009 by the International Judo Federation and it will be the main qualifying criterion for London 2012 Olympic Games. According to their top position, twenty-two men and fourteen women will be qualified for the Games, restricted to one athlete on each category.
“I have always dreamt to get on the ranking’s first position. It has been my goal; I believe that now all the girls are going to feel motivated for doing the same. It is good for everybody, because it shows that it is possible. The Brazilian female judo has developed a lot lately, but one must train hardly in order to obtain the Olympic medal. Getting to this position did not happen by chance. It was the result of many people’s hard work. I am proud and very happy with the ranking’s first position, but this is not going to change our work, neither our determination nor endeavor”, says Mayra Aguiar.
Mayra Aguiar leads the raking of Women’s -78 kg with 1730 points, having 120 points more than the Japanese athlete, Akari Ogata. The Brazilian judoka was undefeated in 2012, taking part in nine contests and obtaining two gold medals at the two main events before the Olympic Games: Top 16 Masters from Kazakhstan and Grand Slam from Paris.
“Being world-number- one is due to a lot of factors: Mayra’s determination and endeavor to the tournaments, her coaches’ orientation, her club, family and, most of all, the Gaucho Brazilian Federation’s support. This gives us a lot of confidence in London 2012 Olympic Games. Mayra has shown again that she is a unique athlete”, states the president of the Brazilian Judo Confederation, Paulo Wanderley Teixeira.
For the coach of the Female National Team, Rosicleia Campos, Mayra’s achievement confirms the benefits of the Olympic cycle’s planning made by the Technical Commission of the Brazilian Judo Confederation.
“In 2005, when I started being part of the National Team, no one imagined that the female judo could have such good results, nor have a Brazilian athlete as world-number- one. Today we have several athletes on the ranking’s Top 10 and this fuels the whole team, as well as it has a positive impact on the self-confidence and respect shown on the tatami”, states Rosicleia.
Besides Mayra Aguiar, other Brazilian athletes have important positions on the list. Sarah Menezes, after obtaining silver at the Grand Slam in Paris, got the third position at Women’s -48 kg. On Men’s categories, Leandro Guilheiro missed the first world position, getting just 6 points less; the Brazilian athlete has 1390 points, whereas the Korean Jae-Bum Kim has 1396. On Men’s -90 kg, the competition goes on tensely between Hugo Pessanha and Tiago Camilo. After the Grand Slam from Paris, Pessanha is listed on the seventh position, having 920 points, whereas Camilo is on the eighth, with 886. Rafael Silva, being the vice-champion at the French Grand Slam, is the fourth on the ranking, having got 1118 points.
Considering the 2009-2010 season’s ranking (from May to April) done by the International Judo Federation, the points got in the competitions from that year worth 75% less until April 30th 2012, when the Olympic list is closed. The points got during 2010-2011 worth 50% and, from May 2011 to April 2012, the points are going to be 100% taken into account when setting the ranking. The points to be worth considering are the ones obtained in the World Championships, Masters (Top 16), Grand Slam, Grand Prix and World Cup.
The athletes who meet the qualifying criteria for London 2012 are the following: Felipe Kitadai (60kg/14th), Breno Alves (60kg/25th), Leandro Cunha (66kg/6th), Luiz Revite (66kg/31st), Bruno Mendonça (73kg/13th), Leandro Guilheiro (81kg/2nd), Hugo Pessanha (90kg/7th), Tiago Camilo (90kg/8th), Luciano Corrêa (100kg/19th), Leonardo Leite (100kg/22nd), Rafael Silva (+100kg/4th), Daniel Hernandes (+100kg/9th), João Gabriel Schlittler (+100kg/22nd), Sarah Menezes (48kg/3rd), Taciana Lima (48kg/18th), Erika Miranda (52kg/6th), Rafaela Silva (57kg/4th), Mariana Silva (63kg/19th), Maria Portela (70kg/21nd), Mayra Aguiar (78kg/1st) e Maria Suelen Altheman (+78kg/10th).
