The Brazilian Team that Faces Cuba on Sunday Is a Mixture between Experience and Youth
The International Challenge will be held in the Tancredão Gym from Vitória (ES), at 1 pm , broadcast by SporTV.
The experience helps decide the shortest paths and be calmer. However, the physical force and the detachment are youth’s characteristics. And the Brazilian team that will face Cuba during the International Challenge in Victoria from Sunday, July 20th , at 1 pm, will have all these elements. Raquel Silva (52kg), Manoella Costa (57kg), Erika Ferreira (63kg), Nadia Merli (70kg) and Claudirene Cezar (+70 kg) were chosen to represent the country. The coaching committee will be formed by the coach Yuko Fujii and the physiotherapist Gabriel Bogalho. Cuba will be defended by Gretter Díaz (52kg), Anayli Hernandez (57kg), Mailin Carvajal (63kg), Olga Ramirez (70kg) and Gusmari Savigne (+78 kg), under the command of the coach Ismael Dupotey.
Claudirene, silver awarded in Rio 2012 Grand Slam and bronze in the World Junior 2002, she won this year the gold in the South American Games of Santiago and the bronze in the Pan American Open of San Salvador. Therefore, she is the most experienced of the group. At 29 years old, she knows that facing the athletes from the Caribbean island is not easy.
"I am very happy for fighting in this challenge. And facing Cuba is always a challenge! I know I'll have a hard job but I will do my best on the mat, "said Claudirene, who is responsible for the last fight of the Challenge.
At the other end stands the promising young Erika Ferreira, only 18 years old. The athlete from Ceará, silver awarded in the South American Cadet Championships in 2010 and South American Junior champion last year in Buenos Aires, is prepared to represent Brazil in the Challenge.
"For me it's an honor to represent again Brazil in a Challenge. I am very confident and I'll do my best to make Brazil a champion again, "Erika said, reminding that she fought in the International Challenge Brazil against Colombia in December. She defeated Brigitte Caraballi by ippon and helped Brazil win the contention by four to one.
Schedule- The Brazilian delegation arrives in Victoria on Thursday evening, July 17th. On Friday, the coach Yuko Fujii and the athlete Raquel Silva (52kg) participate in a news conference at the Tancredão Gym, at 9:30, together with the mayor from Vitoria, Luciano Rezende, and the Secretary of Sports and Leisure, Wallace Valente. After the conference, the five athletes will participate in a training session. At 4 pm a new training is scheduled. On Saturday, July 19th, there will be two training sessions: at 10am and 4 ´pm.
On Sunday, starting from 11 am, the gym will be already open. And the fans who will go to the gym will see a special program, with DJ, entertainers, taiko presentation – the typically Japanese drum - plus a distribution of a booklet containing the judo rules and scores.
