Brazilian paralympic judo has established itself as one of the country’s most successful disciplines, revealing athletes who are true icons of strength, technique and overcoming obstacles. With a career marked by great achievements in international competitions, Brazil’s biggest names in paralympic judo today have stood out as powerhouses on the adapted judo scene.
That’s why, in this article, we’re going to get to know Brazil’s biggest names in paralympic judo today, their stories and, of course, their main achievements and the importance that each of these athletes has for the national sport.
These judokas not only challenge their limits, but also proudly represent Brazil, leaving a legacy of inspiration and excellence.
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Brazil’s biggest names in paralympic judo today
Alana Maldonado
- J2 Class (category up to 70kg for J2 athletes with low vision)
Alana Maldonado is one of Brazil’s biggest names in Paralympic judo and a gold medalist at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.
The athlete arrives in Paris as one of the favorites in her category and could bring home another medal, after all, we’re talking about the leader of the world ranking in her category.
Main achievements
- Gold at the Baku 2022 World Championships
- Gold at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games
- Silver at the Lima 2019 Parapan American Games
- Gold at the 2018 World Championships in Portugal
- Silver at the 2018 World Cup in Turkey
- Gold at the 2019 and 2017 World Cup in Uzbekistan
- Silver at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games
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Arthur Silva
- Class: J1
Arthur Silva is also the leader of the world rankings in his category and is the favorite for gold in Paris 2024.
He recently won the two Grand Prix events he competed in, in Heidelberg and Georgia.
The athlete became blind as a result of retinitis pigmentosa, which began when he was two years old. It was in his teens that he discovered paralympic judo and, since then, he hasn’t stopped.
Main achievements
- Silver in the up to 90kg category at the Santiago 2023 Parapan American Games
- Silver at the IBSA World Games 2023
- Bronze at the Baku 2022 World Championships
- Silver at the Lima 2019 Parapan American Games
- Gold at the 2018 Americas Championship in Canada and the 2017 Americas Championship in São Paulo
Wilians Araújo
- J1 class
Wilians is one of our country’s most successful paralympic judokas and remains one of the most important athletes on the circuit.
Leader of the ranking above 90 kg, J1, for athletes with total visual impairment, he has a great chance of securing a medal for Brazil in Paris.
Main achievements
- Silver in the over 90kg category at the Santiago 2023 Parapan American Games
- Gold at the IBSA World Games 2023
- Gold at the Baku World Championships 2022
- Gold at the Pan American Championships in Canada 2022
- Gold at the 2020 Americas Championship in Canada
- Silver at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games
- Silver at the Toronto 2015 Parapan American Games
- Silver at the 2018 IBSA World Cup in Kazakhstan
- Bronze at the 2018 IBSA World Cup in Uzbekistan
Read also: TOP 10 Best paralympic athletes in Brazil today: strong names for the Olympic podium
Brenda Freitas
- Class: J1 – up to 70kg
On the list of Brazil’s biggest names in paralympic judo today, we can’t leave out champion Brenda Freitas, who lost her sight at the age of 18 after being diagnosed with emotional herpes.
The current champion of the Parapan American Games in Santiago (2023), she has only been doing judo for a few years, having started training in 2018.
Main achievements
- Gold at the Santiago Parapan American Games 2023
- Bronze at the IBSA World Games 2023
- Gold at the Pan American Games in Canada 2022
- Bronze at the Baku 2022 World Championships
Érika Zoaga
- Class: J1 – over 70 kg
Silver at the 2022 World Championships and bronze at the 2023 World Games, Éricka won her place on the Brazilian Paralympic Judo team that will represent our country in Paris 2024.
The paratriathlete was born with congenital glaucoma and took up judo in 2006, the first step towards becoming one of Brazil’s biggest names in paralympic judo today.
Main achievements
- Silver at the 2024 Tiblissi Grand Prix
- Gold at the Antalya Grand Prix 2024
- Bronze at the IBSA World Games 2023
- Silver at the Almada Grand Prix 2023
- Gold at the IBSA Pan American Championships in Edmonton 2022
- Silver at the Baku 2022 World Championships
- Gold at the São Paulo Grand Prix 2022
- Silver at the Nur-Sultan Grand Prix 2022
Rosi Andrade
- Class: J1 – up to 48kg
Following on from our list of Brazil’s biggest names in Paralympic judo today, we come to one of the great promises for the Paralympic Games.
Rosi has a visual impairment caused by retinopathy of prematurity.
An athlete since childhood, she has tried her hand at sports such as ballet and karate.
In 2014 she turned to judo, and in 2022 she joined the adult Brazilian national team, representing Brazil in competitions all over the world.
Main achievements
- Silver at the 2024 Tbilisi Grand Prix
- Silver at the Antalya Grand Prix 2024
- Gold at the Santiago Parapan 2023
- Silver at the Baku Grand Prix 2023
- Bronze at the Alexandria Grand Prix 2023
- Bronze at the Almada Grand Prix 2023
- Gold at the IBSA Pan American Championships in Edmonton 2022
- Bronze at the Baku 2022 World Championships
- Gold at the Antalya Grand Prix 2022
- Gold at the Nur-Sultan Grand Prix 2022
- Gold at the 2022 São Paulo Grand Prix.
Read also: Paralympic judo rules for mastering the sport: 13 essential rules
Elielton Oliveira
- Class: – 60 kg (J1)
Elielton lost his sight at the age of 12 in a firearm accident. In 2014, he started practicing judo and, in 2021, he won silver and gold in CBDV national tournaments.
As a result, he caught the attention of the delegation and joined the Brazilian national team in 2022. Today, he is one of Brazil’s biggest names in paralympic judo.
Main achievements
- Silver at the 2024 Tbilisi Grand Prix
- Silver at the Antalya Grand Prix 2024
- Silver at the Heidelberg Grand Prix 2024
- Silver at the Santiago Parapan 2023
- Bronze at the Baku Grand Prix 2023
- Bronze at the Alexandria Grand Prix 2023
- Gold at the Almada Grand Prix 2023
- Silver at the IBSA Pan American Championship in Edmonton 2022
- Bronze at the Nur-Sultan Grand Prix 2022
Marcelo Casanova
- Class: -90 kg (J2)
Marcelo’s visual impairment is the result of albinism. However, this didn’t stop him from competing for many years in conventional judo, when he was even a member of the Brazilian under-18 national team.
However, in 2021, he joined Paralympic judo, becoming one of Brazil’s biggest names in Paralympic judo today and earning his place at the Paralympics.
Main achievements
- Bronze at the Tiblissi Grand Prix 2024
- Gold at the Santiago Parapan 2023
- Bronze at the IBSA World Games 2023
- Silver at the Almada Grand Prix 2023
- Gold at the IBSA Pan American Championships in Edmonton 2022
Harlley Arruda
- Class: -73 kg (J1)
Harlley lost the sight in both eyes in 1999 in a firearm accident.
He started practicing judo under the influence of Antônio Tenório and is currently one of Brazil’s biggest names in paralympic judo, with a long list of victories and more to come!
Main achievements
- Bronze at the Tbilisi Grand Prix 2024
- Gold at the Santiago Parapan 2023
- Bronze at the Baku Grand Prix 2023
- Bronze at the Almada Grand Prix 2023
- Silver at the IBSA Pan American Championships in Edmonton 2022
- Bronze at the Nur-Sultan Grand Prix 2022
- Bronze at the São Paulo Grand Prix 2022
- Bronze at the German Open 2020
Brazil’s biggest names in paralympic judo today
Brazil’s biggest names in paralympic judo today include:
- Alana Maldonado
- Arthur Silva
- Wilians Araújo
- Brenda Freitas
- Érika Zoaga
- Rosi Andrade
- Elielton Oliveira
- Marcelo Casanova
- Harlley Arruda
So keep an eye out for upcoming competitions and follow our athletes and their achievements closely.
Whether at the Olympics or the Paralympics, judo is a sport that brings a lot of pride and many medals to Brazil. So let’s get the fans cheering and bring positive energy to our giants!
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