It’s a threepeat of sorts for Mayra Aguiar…
The 29-year-old Brazilian judoka earned her third consecutive Olympic bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Games.
Aguiar defeated South Korea’s Yoon Hyun-ji in the Women’s 78kg in the Bronze Medal B match.
Considered one of the most talented Brazilian judokas in history, Aguiar is competing in her fourth Summer Olympics.
She lost her only match at the 2008 Beijing Games, but then claimed the bronze medal at the 2012 London Games and 2016 Rio Games.
It’s an Olympic déjà vu for Mayra Aguiar…
For the second Olympics in a row, the 25-year-old Brazilian judoka has earned the bronze medal in the 78 kg category in women’s judo at the 2016 Rio Games.
Aguiar defeated Cuba’s Yalennis Castillo in the Bronze Medal Bout A to complete her matching set of bronze medals.
Back at the 2012 London Games, she defeated Holland’s Marhinde Verkerk to claim the bronze.
Aguiar’s victory may be slightly sweeter this time around, as she claimed victory in front of a hometown crowd.
Following a disappointing loss in the quarterfinals, Rafael Silva roared back to make it onto the medal podium at the 2012 Olympic Games.
The 25-year-old Brazilian judoka won the bronze medal in the men’s judo over-100kg class at the London Games by beating South Korea’s Kim Sung-Min on Friday.
Silva lost in the quarterfinals to Russia’s Alexader Mikhaylin but came back to win his next two fights against the Hungarian Barna Bor and Kim to earn his place on the podium.
Silva dominated the entire match against the passive South Korean, who did no more than defend himself until the judges handed him a penalty – his second – which meant a yuko score for Silva and the victory.
In his only loss at the London Games, Silva started out in command of the fight against the Russian, but as the minutes passed physical exhaustion began to show and he eventually lost control of the match.
After both the regulation five minutes and the three overtime minutes ended in a tie, the judges unanimously decided that Mikhaylin was the judoka who merited a place in the semi-finals.
Silva’s bronze medal performance makes him the fourth Brazilian to win a medal in Olympic judo at the London Games, following medals by his fellow teammates Sarah Menezes, Felipe Kitadai and Mayra Aguiar.
Mayra Aguiar will be having a bronzetastic birthday at the 2012 Olympic Games.
The Brazilian judoka, who turns 21 on Friday, beat Holland’s Marhinde Verkerk to claim the bronze medal in the 78 kg category in women’s judo at the London Games.
It’s the third medal Brazil has earned in judo at this year’s Olympics, following medal-earning performances by Aguiar’s teammates Sara Menezes and Felipe Kitadai.
Aguiar, who wasn’t able to compete for the gold medal after losing her semifinal match to world No. 2 Kayla Harrison of the United States, overcame that defeat to earn the bronze in stellar fashion.
Aguiar, currently ranked No. 1 in the world, exploded with happiness when she managed to hook Verkerk’s leg and throw her to the mat on her back in less than 90 seconds.