Renewed, the Brazilian Judo Team Welcomes Twenty-Five More Members
There are twelve new members in the Senior Team, chosen from the competitors in the Selective Competition held last Saturday.
The Brazilian Judo Team who will defend the colors of Brazil in 2016 welcomed on board some new members on Saturday, December 13th, after the last stage of the National Selective Rio 2016. There were 25 athletes who became new members of the Brazilian elite team. The women team got 15 judokas whereas the men 10 more athletes. Among these members, 12 athletes are newcomers.
The competition was divided into two sections: in the morning there were the fights of three lighter weights – extra-light, half-light and light. Among men, Ricardo Santos Jr (SP) and Gabriel Pinheiro (PE) were classified in first and second, respectively, and they will join Charles Chibana in the Brazilian half-lightweight team. Closing the first round, Phelipe Pelim (SP) got the extra-lightweight vacant position whereas Igor Pereira (RJ) got the lightweight one. They all get for the first time in the main team.
"I knew I had to hold my opponent more ten, fifteen seconds and I told myself I would only let it go when the judge gave me an ippon. At that moment I was thinking of all that I’ve been through to get here and have this position" said the second member of Pereira family regarding the qualification for selection, since his sister Jessica Pereira (RJ) was second placed in the - 52 kg category and got one of the vacancies. The other was won by the athlete Rafaela Barbosa from Barbosa Association (AM), champion of the Selective, rookie in the National Team and the only northern area’s representative.
"Throughout the year I’ve been thinking a lot of the Selective Competition, especially in the last two months. I have been training about eight hours a day to get here and get this vacancy, " Rafaela declared. Besides these two girls, Nathália Brígida (MG) and Gabriela Chibana (SP) - two more newcomers - were the morning’s other winners, each of them getting a vacancy in the extra-light category.
In the afternoon, four categories got some "fresh blood”. Regarding women, Giovana Silva (MG) has reached for the first time a place in the national team in the middleweight category and Sibilla Facholli (SP) was the rookie of heavyweight. Concerning men, Felipe Costa (81kg) and Gabriel Souza (100kg) were the last newcomers in the senior team.
The female lightweight was the one who didn’t have any competitors due to the withdrawal of two athletes who were enrolled: Giulia Penalber (RJ) and Flavia Gomes (SP). Thus, Thamires Silva (RJ) got the only remaining vacancy of the category.
The Selective 2016 had 128 fights and it lasted nine hours on Saturday. Seven Brazilian Federations’ representatives are among the classified athletes.
Below is the full list of the Brazilian team in force until 2016; the new members are mentioned as well:
Women
Extra-light (48kg)
1 - Sarah Menezes (Ass. De Judô Expedito Falcão/PI)*
2 – Nathália Brigida (Minas Tênis Clube/MG)
3 – Gabriela Chibana (Esporte Clube Pinheiros/SP)
Half-Lightweight (52kg)
1 – Érika Miranda (Minas Tênis Clube/MG)*
2 – Rafaela Barbosa (Associação Barbosa/AM)
3 – Jéssica Pereira (Instituto Reação/RJ)
Lightweight (57kg)
1 – Rafaela Silva (Instituto Reação/RJ)*
2 – Ketleyn Quadros (Minas Tênis Clube/MG)*
3 – Tamires Crude Silva (Instituto Reação/RJ)
Half-middleweight (63kg)
1 – Danielle Karla Oliveira (Clube de Regatas do Flamengo/RJ)
2 – Mariana Silva (Minas Tênis Clube/MG)
3 – Veronice Chagas (Judô Clube Tomodachi/RN)
Middleweight (70kg)
1 – Bárbara Timo (Clube de Regatas do Flamengo/RJ)
2 – Maria Portela (Sogipa/RS)
3 - Giovana Silva (Praia Clube/MG)
Half-heavyweight (78kg)
1 – Mayra Aguiar (Sogipa/RS)*
2 - Samanta Soares (Ass. Desportiva São Caetano/SP)
3 – Renata Januário (Ass. De Judô dos Colégios da Zona Oeste/RJ)
Heavyweight (+78kg)
1 – Maria Suelen Altheman (Ass. De Judô Rogério Sampaio/SP)*
2 – Rochele Nunes (Sogipa/RS)
3 – Sibilla Faccholli (AADM São Bernardo/SP)
Men
Extra-lightweight (60kg)
1 – Felipe Kitadai (Sogipa/RS)*
2 – Eric Takabatake (Esporte Clube Pinheiros/SP)*
3 – Phelipe Pelim (Esporte Clube Pinheiros/SP)
Half-lightweight (66kg)
1 – Charles Chibana (Esporte Clube Pinheiros/SP)*
2 – Ricardo Santos Júnior (Minas Tênis Clube/MG)
3 – Gabriel Pinheiro (Cia do Judô/PE)
Lightweight(73kg)
1 – Alex Pombo (Minas Tênis Clube/MG)*
2 – Marcelo Contini (Esporte Clube Pinheiros/SP)*
3 – Igor Pereira (Instituto Reação/RJ)
Half-middleweight (81kg)
1 – Victor Penalber (Instituto Reação/RJ)*
2 – Leandro Guilheiro (Esporte Clube Pinheiros/SP)*
3 – Felipe Costa (Esporte Clube Pinheiros/SP)
Middleweight(90kg)
1 – Tiago Camilo (Esporte Clube Pinheiros/SP)*
2 – Eduardo Bettoni (Minas Tênis Clube/MG)
3 – Gustavo Assis (Minas Tênis Clube/MG)
Half-heavyweight (100kg)
1 – Luciano Correa (Minas Tênis Clube/MG)*
2 – Rafael Buzacarini (Ass. De Judô Vila Sônia/SP)
3 – Gabriel Souza (Esporte Clube Pinheiros/SP)
Heavyweight(+100kg)
1 – Rafael Silva (Esporte Clube Pinheiros/SP)*
2 – David Moura (Instituto Reação/RJ)*
3 – Walter Santos (Ass. Desportiva São Caetano/SP)
*The athletes who have already got qualified for being Olympic awarded athletes or for being in the Olympic ranking zone according to the 11/04/14 updated version.
