She won. On Monday, Silva won gold while competing in her home country; a win that came with the added distinction of being the first gold medal for Brazil at this year’s Olympics.
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A female athlete from the favelas won Brazil’s first gold medal of the Rio Games today as Michael Phelps stepped his campaign for yet more Olympic honours.
“The fans have always encouraged me, especially the kids from my own community in the City of God”, Silva told reporters after receiving her medal on the podium in front of adoring fans.
Silva was born in Cidade de Deus, or City of God, the housing project in Rio de Janeiro that became notorious for social deprivation and gang violence.
It is such a rags-to-Olympic glory story that make people hopeful that the strains in Brazil’s social fabric can be eased amid all the turmoil at the political stage – the suspension of leftist president Dilma Rousseff and the interim appointment of the centre-right government of Michel Temer.
She was disqualified at the 2012 London games, earning her hostile and in some cases, racist, comments.
She endured another stunning disappointment Monday night when she finished last in her semifinal heat with only the 13th-fastest time among 16 swimmers. She was almost flawless in her victory. “I counted on my coach, and on god, and support from my family and the Brazilian people”.
Officials said they hoped to counter the top players’ absence by winning over converts.
Rafaela Silva’s victory in the 57-kilo judo event was not merely Brazil’s first gold medal.
“If it wasn’t for judo I could still be hanging around in Cidade de Deus rather than be here”.
“She is from only about 10km from here, its wonderful, everybody knows her story”, said Patrick Gonçalves, an Olympic volunteer who had come to the arena just to watch Silva.
A world champion at 15, she went to the 2012 Games in London to compete for Brazil and was one of the country’s few medal hopes there. “She could be doing something bad, but instead she is an Olympic champion”.
“She’s a hero, coming from the poor area”.
In team sports, women are also winning most matches: the soccer team’s fantastic results, which include a 5-1 victory over the strong Swedish team, are leaving Brazilians proud and loud. The question is how Silva scored with her elbow that perhaps helped to pin the leg of Dorjsuren, at least not a leg grab with the hands.
“I like her because she has a tough face”, little Vitoria Matos said, trying to replicate the look.
Although Ms. Silva’s father, Luiz Silva, had stayed away from the early round, saying he was too nervous to watch, her parents were part of a heaving and screaming hometown crowd for the medal match.
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The women’s bronze medals went to Kaori Matsumoto of Japan, the defending Olympic champion her friend from Portugal Telma Monteiro who finally achieved to cash in that medal that was missing.
