The National Team Boards for Acclimatization in View of the Astana 2015 World Judo Championship
The tournament in the capital of Kazakhstan begins on August 23rd with the extra-lightweight category. The whole team will be training in France until August 20th.
After meeting each other this Wednesday, August 12th, at the Brazilian Judo Confederation headquarters located at the International Airport of Rio de Janeiro, the Brazilian team boarded for a period of acclimatization in Sainte Genevieve de Bois, about 24 km away from Paris. This is the location of the SGS Judo, one of the most important judo clubs in France. Athletes of lighter categories and a part of the coaching staff leave France on August 20th and head to Astana, followed by the rest of the team who board on 24th. Brazil will be represented by 18 athletes in the competition, the maximum number allowed. The called women were Sarah Menezes (48kg), Nathália Brigida (48kg), Erika Miranda (52kg), Rafaela Silva (57kg), Mariana Silva (63kg), Maria Portela (70kg), Mayra Aguiar (78kg), Maria Suelen Altheman ( + 78kg) and Rochelle Nunes (+ 78kg). Felipe Kitadai (60kg), Eric Takabatake (60kg), Charles Chibana (66kg), Marcelo Contini (73kg), Victor Penalber (81kg), Leandro Guilheiro (81kg), Tiago Camilo (90kg), Luciano Correa (100kg) and David Moura (+ 100kg) will represent the men’s team in the capital of Kazakhstan. Besides them, there will be two spare athletes, Eduardo Faria (90kg) and Adriana Leite (78kg), who participate in the acclimatization.
Erika Miranda is the female athlete who participated in most World Championships: there were seven competitions in all. The first was in 2007 in Rio de Janeiro. After not getting any medal in Rotterdam in 2009 and Paris in 2011 and her fifth place in Rio 2007 and Tokyo 2010, the athlete from Brasilia reached the podium in the last two editions of the World Judo Championships. She won silver in Rio in 2013 and bronze in Chelyabinsk in 2014.
"I’ve always hit the crossbar in World Championships and in 2013 I won a medal in this very strong competition in which I love today to fight. With much persistence, I saw how I could reach the end with a medal and that’s why I am sure that everything was worth it, "said Erika Miranda, champion of the Toronto 2015 Pan American Games.
The Olympic champion Sarah Menezes did not dispute the Pan in order to focus on the World Championship in which she won three bronzes (Tokyo 2010, Paris 2011 and Rio 2013). The preparation of the athlete from Piauí for the most important tournament of the year has been intense in recent months and she trained besides in Teresina, in Porto Alegre and Rio de Janeiro. Now is the time to train in Europe. The acclimatization is part of the BJC’s strategy to achieve the goals set for Astana 2015.
"This acclimatization before the competition is important to pick up the pace already, adjust to the time zone, the local temperature, food and end our preparation with the training there. I'm going much more motivated because a medal missing from my curriculum is gold in a World Championships, “Sarah Menezes said.
The purpose of the Brazilian Judo Confederation is to win five medals, reaching two finals and two medals in men's. Two men on the podium in the World Championship is something that has not happened since 2011. Nevertheless, the heavyweight David Moura, fifth in the Chelyabinsk 2014 World Championship after losing the semifinal against the Japanese Ryu Shichinohe and the bronze contention against the Russian Renat Saidov believes he can reach his goal this time.
“Compared to the last year, I feel that I am better prepared, so are the rest of the team’s athletes and this is why I believe we have high chances to meet our goal. The World Championship is very tough and it is an important laboratory to know what comes in 2016, "said David, the champion in Toronto 2015 Pan American Games.
The draw of keys for the Astana 2015 World Judo Championship will be on August 22nd and the fights begin on August 23rd with the extra-lightweight category. In 2014, in Chelyabinsk, Brazil won four medals: gold by Mayra Aguiar (78kg) silver by Maria Suelen Altheman (+ 78kg) and two bronze medals by Erika Miranda (52kg) and Rafael Silva (+ 100kg).
In Kazakhstan, the technical committee will be formed by Ney Wilson, head of delegation; the coaches Rosicleia Campos, Luiz Shinohara, Fulvio Miyata and Mario Tsutsui; the supervisor Amadeu Moura; the doctor Antonio Guilherme Garofo; the psychologist Adriana Lacerda; the nutritionist Gisele Lemos; the fitness coach Josué Moraes; the physiotherapist Glaucio Paredes; the massage therapist Hans Peter Strubreiter; the strategist Wagner Lyrio; and the administrative assistant Bernardo Seabra.
