The National Judo Senior Team Travels To Compete in the First Grand Prix of Havana
There will be 15 Brazilian athletes competing. Among them, there is the vice-world champion Erika Miranda whose birthday is today. The competition will be the first to be point-worthy in the Olympic ranking.
As a traditional sports country, Cuba will host next weekend a Grand Prix for the first time. The event will be held from June 6th to June 8th. Besides being a historical event, the competition in even more important since it is the first point-worthy for the world ranking 2016, the so-called Olympic ranking. The first placed will score 300 points, the second 180 whereas the third will sum 120. On these grounds, the Cuban tournament called the attention of many sports countries. There are 334 athletes registered - 180 men and 154 women - from 47 countries.
Brazil participates in the competition with 15 athletes, including Erika Miranda whose birthday is today, Wednesday, June 4th. She has reached the age of 27 years. Apart from her, Brazil will be represented by Eric Takabatake ( 60kg ) , Diego Santos ( 60kg ) , Leandro Cunha ( 73kg ) , Marcelo Contini ( 73kg ) , Victor Penalber ( 81kg ) , Tiago Camilo ( 90kg ) , Renan Nunes ( 100kg), Hugo Pessanha ( 100kg ) , Walter Santos ( +100 kg ) , Sarah Menezes ( 48kg ) , Gabriela Chibana ( 48kg ) , Érika Miranda ( 52kg ), Raquel Silva ( 52kg ) , Katherine Campos ( 63kg ) and Barbara Timo ( 70kg ).
The largest delegation is, of course, the Cuban one. Its team is composed of 28 men and 28 women. The stars are the current world champions Asley Gonzalez ( 90kg ) and Idalys Ortiz (+78 kg ), the poster figures of the event. Russia, second placed in number of athletes, comes with a half team (14 men and 14 women). Mexico will have 10 women and 10 men. Georgia and Argentina are participating with only 11 male athletes. The traditional France and China will have only female representatives - seven athletes from each country. The most strinking absences are Japan’s, Mongolia’s, South Korea’s and the Netherlands’.
The competition starts this Friday, June 6th, with the extra-light (48kg), half lightweight (52kg), and lightweight (57kg) female categories and with the extra-light (60kg) and half lightweight (66kg) male ones. Diego Santos, one of the athletes who will fight the first day of competition, faces well-ranked opponents such as Amiran Papinashvili ( GEO ) and Beslan Mudranov ( RUS ), second and third placed in the category. However, after spending 20 days training in Japan, the athlete from Bahia assures us to be prepared to get a good result:
“I’m sure I’ve prepared well because I managed to work on all the skills. Besides the physical and technical ones, I focused also on the nutritional and psychological aspects. I am very confident and I want to represent well Brazil, “Diego said.
On the second day, the women’s half middleweight (63kg) and the middleweight (70kg) as well as the men’s lightweight (73kg) and half middleweight (81kg) categories. On Saturday, Brazil will have two athletes who are competing again after recovering from injury: Leandro Cunha, who has undergone a surgery on his right shoulder, will make his debut in a new category (he passed from the half lightweight to the lightweight category) . Vice world champion in 2010 and 2011, the athlete from São José dos Campos is eager to start again:
“It’s the beginning of another journey. In the other category, I was already at the limit of the weight. Now, I hope to find a greater challenge, " "Coxinha" said, this being his nickname. The main competitors in the category are Dirk Van Tichelt (BEL), leader of the world ranking, Sagi Muki ( ISR ), sixth placed, and his country’s mate Marcelo Contini.
Katherine Campos ( 63kg) , who is competing again after an injury in Buenos Aires Open, will fight against Yarden Gerbi ( ISR ) , Clarisse Agbegnenou ( FRA ) and Unterwurzacher Kathrin (AUT).
" It is a hard competition, but this a great opportunity to compete in Cuba. I have been recovering for three weeks and I can hardly wait to fight again. I'm dreaming of getting a place in these Olympic Games and for that, I need good results, " Katherine Campos said.
On Sunday, the half heavyweight and heavyweight female and male athletes are competing. The drawing takes place on Thursday, at 3 o'clock, Brasília Time. The fights in the Sports City Coliseum begin at 10 am and the fights for medals at 6 pm. The competition is broadcast by SporTV.
