Rio Olympics 2016: Rafaela Silva wins judo gold for Brazil
- Published
Olympic Games on the BBC |
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Hosts: Rio de Janeiro Dates: 5-21 August Rio time: BST -4 |
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Brazil won their first gold medal of the Rio Olympics as Rafaela Silva triumphed in the women's -57kg judo.
Silva defeated world number one Sumiya Dorjsuren of Mongolia by Waza-ari to delight a partisan crowd at Carioca 2.
The gold medal marks a fairytale rise to Olympic triumph from a childhood in Rio's notorious 'City of God' favela for Silva.
"Judo is my life," said Silva. "I love competing at home, because of the fans. Their cheering helps a lot."
And she added: "I hope that this medal opened doors for more medals this week."
Silva qualified for the London 2012 Games but was disqualified in the early rounds for a rule violation.
London champion Kaori Matsumoto of Japan took bronze alongside five-time European champion Telma Monteiro of Portugal.
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