Favourites, candidates and underdogs: who’s who at the Judo World Cup | brazil in paris

The Judo World Cup kicks off this Thursday, in Uzbekistan, with Brazil, as usual, in the fight for medals. The main chances are with the women’s team, with Mayra Aguiar, who is aiming for her seventh Worlds medal, and Beatriz Souza, bronze in 2021. Men’s judo has a good chance, even if they do not have super favorites. The objective is to get back on the podium, since he has not won a medal since 2017, virgin in 2018, 2019 and 2021.

The finals will be broadcast by sportv3, from October 6 to 13, always at 9 am (Brasilia time).

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Mayra Aguiar was world champion in 2017 — Photo: Paulo Pinto / CBJ

Mayra Aguiar (up to 78 kg): Owner of six medals at the World Championships and three at the Olympic Games, Mayra Aguiar arrives in Uzbekistan as the fourth seed. This year, she was Pan American champion and made the Grand Slam podium in Georgia (silver) and Hungary (bronze), as well as bronze at the Croatian GP. Her consistency is incredible, she has been among the best in the category since 2010, and her main rivals are the German Ana Wagner (first in the ranking, bronze in Tokyo, when she beat Mayra in the quarter-finals), the Frenchwoman Madeleine Malonga (3rd in the ranking and silver in Tokyo) and the Japanese Olympic champion Saori Hamada, with whom he can already meet in the quarter-finals. Dutchman Guusje Steenhuis, Israeli Inbar Lanir and Polish Beata Pacut are also running outside.

Beatriz Souza (over 78 kg): is the main name of the “new generation” of Brazil, won several medals in the basic categories, finished fifth in the 2019 World Cup and bronze in 2021. She just did not go to the Olympics because it There is a limit of one athlete per country, and Maria Suelen was in the top 3 of the ranking. He is number 3 in the world rankings and has been on the podium in almost every competition he competes in. The main rivals are the Cuban Idalys Ortiz (quadruple Olympic medalist, and with whom he could meet in the quarter-finals), the French Romane Dicko (bronze at the Olympics) and the Japanese Wakaba Tomita. Israeli Haz Hershko (ranking leader), Frenchwoman Julia Tolufua (fourth), Turkish Kayra Sayti, Tunisian Nihel Touhou and Portuguese Rochele Nunes are also fighting.

Beatriz Souza is among the favorites for the World Cup — Photo: CBJ

Guilherme Schmidt wins gold at the Antalya Grand Slam — Photo: IJF

Guilherme Schmidt (Up to 81kg): at 21, he is now the biggest name in men’s judo. After almost securing the Olympic berth in Tokyo, he started to have great results on the World Tour. This year, he won two Grand Slam tournaments (Turkey and Hungary) beating Olympic and world championship medalists, and climbed to fourth place in the rankings. Its category is very balanced, with at least eight judokas fighting for the podium. The favorites are the Georgian Tato Grigalashvili, the Belgian Matthias Cassé, the Japanese Takanori Nagazi and Sotaro Fijihari (who are not seeded) and the Dutchman Frank de Wit.

Rafaela Silva (up to 57 kg): Olympic champion at Rio 2016, Rafaela Silva was suspended from international competitions for two years, losing her chance to compete at the Tokyo Olympics. At the end of the year, she returned to competitions, achieved good results, such as medals at the Grand Slams of Hungary and Georgia, and will be the sixth seed in the World Championship. In her category, the favorites are the Canadians Jessica Kilmalt and Christa Deguchi (the latter being unseeded), the Frenchwoman Sarah Cysque (Olympic finalist), the Japanese Haruka Funakubo and the Israeli Tymna Levy.

Rafaela Silva arrives with a chance for a medal — Photo: Reproduction/ Twitter Time Brasil

Ketlyn Quadros (up to 63 kg): Bronze medalist at the 2008 Olympics, Ketleyn Quadros, 34, is aiming for her first podium at the World Championships. The No. 3 seed arrives loaded with silver at the Georgian Grand Slam and bronze at the Croatian Grand Prix. Only two of the first eight placed at the Tokyo Olympics are in this world: in addition to Ketleyn (seventh), the Canadian Catherine Pinard (bronze). The others, for various reasons, are not at the event. The favorites are, besides Pinard, the Briton Lucy Renshall, the Japanese Megumi Horishawa and the Slovenian Andreja Leski.

Mixed team: Brazil is one of the candidates for the podium of the mixed team tournament. Bronze at the 2019 and 2021 World Cups, the country did not have a good Olympics in the team tournament, but it arrives with chances at the World Cup. Japan and France are favorites, but without Russia another place in the fight for the podium opens up. Brazil have strengthened for this World Cup, with the return of Rafaela Silva and the strengthening of the country’s weight to 73 kg with Daniel Cargnin. Germany, Israel, the Netherlands and Mongolia are expected to be Brazil’s main rivals. As a result, the team starts against Korea and can repeat the Olympic duel with Israel in the sequence.

Rafael Silva is among those who can surprise at the World Cup – Photo: Reuters

Raphael Silva (over 100kg): Double Olympic medalist, Rafael Silva has been part of the Brazilian team for 12 years and will reach the World Cup by fighting for the podium, even if he is not the favorite. Seventh at the Tokyo Olympics and fifth seed at the Worlds, Baby won silver this year at the Grand Slam in Israel, in addition to being a finalist at the Pan American Games.

Maria Portela (up to 70 kg): in the national team for 13 years, Maria Portela has yet to win medals at the World Championships and the Olympics, although she has come close a few times. At this year’s World Cup he comes in as the sixth seed, with bronzes at the Turkish Grand Slam and Portuguese GP. The 70 kg category is one of the most balanced in judo, with at least twelve judokas fighting for the podium, among them the French Marie Gahie and Margaux Pinot, the Japanese Saki Niizoe, the Croatian Barbara Matic and the Dutch Sane Van Dijke.

Maria Portela aims for her first World Cup medal — Photo: Reproduction

William Lima (up to 66 kg): one of the good recent revelations of Brazilian judo, William did not compete in the Tokyo Olympics, but he is doing very well in 2022. Vice-champion of the Grand Slam in Turkey and fifth in Georgia, he obtained points to climb the leaderboard and arrive as the fifth key seed in the world. Not a favorite, but fighting for the medal. He ended up unlucky in the draw and was able to catch a Japanese right in the round of 16.

Larisa Pimenta (52kg): Larissa has been considered for some years as one of the revelations of Brazilian judo, but in the two major competitions in which she participated, the Olympic Games and the 2019 World Cup, she ended up having a lot of bad luck in the range, facing d It was Japan’s Uta Abe, who won the title in both events. She is 13th in the rankings, finished fifth in the Turkish Grand Slam and was Pan champion this year. This time he was not so unlucky in the draw, he fled the main rivals from the first laps, but he will not have it easy until the podium. He is not one of the favorites, but he can fight. The category is full of stars at the Worlds, such as Abe, Distria Krasniqu (Olympic champion 48kg), Amandine Buchard (Olympic finalist), Reka Pupp (first in the ranking), Odette Giuffridae Chelsie Giles (medalist in Tokyo).

Jessica Lima (up to 57 kg): Currently reserve of the 57kg category in Brazilian judo, Jessica won the condition to compete in the world championship because each country can choose certain categories to take two athletes. He has achieved good results this year, even beating the Portuguese Olympic medalist Telma Monteiro, so he arrives in the group of athletes who can surprise and fight for the podium.

Eric Takabatake (Up to 66kg): After the Tokyo Olympics, where he was eliminated in the second round, Eric Takabatake changed category, going from light (up to 60 kg) to medium-light (up to 66 kg). He still hasn’t had a string of good results, but he’s had a few wins that qualified him for the World Cup. There was no luck in the draw and was able to catch Olympic champion Abe in the second phase.

Daniel Cargnin (up to 73kg): Bronze medalist at the Tokyo Olympics in the under 66 kg category, Daniel is now in the under 73 kg category. He made several championships at this new weight but, although he had some good fights, he didn’t do well in the wins. That’s why he’s not doing so well in the world rankings. Nobody disputes his talent, but the fact that he hasn’t really entered this new category yet puts him out of the list of contenders for the podium, although of course he could surprise.

Cargnin celebrates bronze at the Zagreb Grand Prix – Photo: Disclosure

Rafael Macedo (up to 90 kg): Junior world champion in 2014, Rafael participated in the Tokyo Olympics, but was eliminated in the first fight. This year, he got some good results like bronze at the Turkish Grand Slam and silver at the Croatian Grand Prix. He does not arrive as a favorite, but he seems to be living the best phase of his career.

Rafael Buzacarini (up to 100 kg): holder of the Brazil team for the third consecutive cycle, Buzacarini, like the whole men’s team, had a positive year. He placed fifth at the Paris Grand Slam and fifth at the Turkish Grand Slam. He had some good fights, but the details took him off the podium.

Luana Carvalho has already won bronze in a Junior World Cup — Photo: IJF

Amanda Lima (up to 48 kg), Luana Carvalho (up to 70 kg), Alan Kubawara (up to 60 kg) and Marcelo Gomes (up to 90 kg) are heading to an adult world championship for the first time. Of this quartet, Amanda is the one who achieved the best results this year, including a Pan title and a fifth place in Grand Slams. A good result would be welcome, but the chances of a podium for this quartet are low.

Laura Davis

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