I believe this was a wise decision. It was a feeling of being able to return to Rafaela in 2009, when I arrived and started competing in the national team, because I didn’t know the opponents, I wanted to hold on to the mat. It was new!
Rafaela Silva
“I wanted to win, get a medal in a new category. So, it was something that motivated me even more to continue. I really like challenges. That’s the kind of motivation I take: making history in a new category and ending my career with a flourish, God willing”, he added.
The end of Rafaela Silva’s career as an athlete will not be so soon. She intends to fight for a place in Los Angeles-2028 and fight for her third Olympic podium — she won individual gold at Rio-2016 and team bronze at Paris-2024.
Today I find myself within the Olympic classification zone. My goal is, yes, to be in Los Angeles, but we try not to think too much about the Olympics. We think about one competition at a time. Almost all the competitions we do on the circuit are worth points towards the Olympic classification. So, we look at the calendar there, quarter by quarter, semester by semester, year by year… It’s planning. But yes, my goal is to be in Los Angeles by 2028.
Rafaela Silva
Rafaela attended the launch of the book ‘A Coach de Ouro’, by Nell Salgado, a high-performance coach who has been with her for a few years. The event took place last Wednesday, in Barra da Tijuca, west of Rio de Janeiro, and the judoka even got emotional during a statement she gave to the microphone.
