Rio 2016 Olympics: Brazil’s Rafaela Silva wins the hosts their first gold medal of the Games with victory in judo
RAFAELA SILVA has become an instant superstar after she won Brazil’s first gold medal of the Rio Olympic Games in judo.
The heroine – who is from Rio de Janeiro – beat Mongolia’s Dorjsurengiin Sumiya in the gold medal match of the -57kg competition.
Rafaela Silva celebrates with Olympic goldRafaela Silva was in tears after receiving her Olympic gold medal in front of her home town crowdRafaela Silva celebrates her victory in the womens -57kg category of the judoRafaela Silva puts her arms in the air to soak up the moment when she realises she is the Olympic championRafaela Silva celebrates with her family in the crowd after winning Olympic goldRafaela Silva in action against Dorjsurengiin Sumiya of MongoliaThere were tears on the podium for Rafaela Silva
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Silva, 24, was not even favourite for the gold, as she beat her Mongolian rival in the final.
And not only is she from Rio, but one of the city’s most notorious favelas – the same one as the setting for the brilliant film ‘City of God.’
She said: “It really helped me with momentum and the pressure against my opponents. The stadium was shaking, everybody was screaming and cheering me up every minute.
Silva is from one of Rio’s roughest favelasRio’s favelas are notorious for their gang crime but also their incredible artSilva grew up in a favela just like this oneRio’s favelas are notorious for their crime and waste
“I want to thank everyone who cheered for me. The people who saw my suffering daily know I did not like to train.
“But I think no-one has trained more than me in this Olympic cycle.
“I’m very happy about the result. I’ve been training a lot these last few years and the results are showing.”
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