The U23 Brazilian Championship Starts Today

The U23 Brazilian Championship started this morning at Maracanãzinho Venue, in Rio de Janeiro. This Friday, the extra-light, light and medium lightweight categories, both male and female athletes, started competing at 10 a.m.; the Opening Ceremony is scheduled at 3 p.m., and at 4 p.m. the block final will start fighting; at 6:30 pm, the official weighing of the half middleweight, middleweight, middle heavyweight, heavyweight categories will take place. On Saturday, the athletes who weighted the day before will fight; the competition for medals, as happened the previous day, starts at 4 p.m.

The Brazilian Under 23 Championship is a competition created in 2009, aiming to be the step between the Juniors and Seniors.

\"I consider the Brazilian Under 23 Championship is a very important competition. Before its creation, the Junior (Under 21) athlete became Senior and there was a great difference between him/her and the athletes who were composing the Olympic team. This was one of the causes many athletes decided to quit their sports career. And this is a time when the athletes must decide what they want from life: go to college or become professionals. It is time they have to decide what they want for their future. For athletes who decide to continue practicing judo, the Under 23 allows them to get used among Seniors, “stated the former coach of the Brazilian team and the current coach of Minas Tennis Club, Floriano Almeida.

The final results of the categories will be posted during the competition.