The four athletes from Minas Gerais who traveled to Rio de Janeiro last week returned home with impressive results from the Taekwondo Grand Slam, a competition that brought together the best athletes in the country to determine the members of the 2026 Brazilian National Team. At the end of the event, the delegation returned with three bronze medals, consolidating a standout performance at the national level.

The young athletes are supported by the Viva o Esporte project, developed by the Ramacrisna Institute in partnership with the Betim City Hall, and competed in the youth category, for athletes aged 15 to 17. Eduarda Pereira de Melo, Rafael Henrique Ferreira, Rafael Henrique Costa, and Pedro Yago Toneli represented Betim.

The Grand Slam is considered the main event on the national calendar for the sport, precisely because it determines who will assume the position on the Brazilian National Team and represent the country in international competitions. To participate, the athletes had to compete in national championships throughout the past year, accumulating points in the Brazilian ranking. Two of them earned direct spots based on their points, while the others went through an open selection process before the final phase.

Although gold didn’t come this time, the team celebrated the outcome. “We returned home with three bronze medals from an event that brings together the best in Brazil. This shows the technical level our athletes have reached. Of course, the main objective was a starting spot on the national team, but we returned with experience, learning, and even more motivation to improve in future challenges,” highlighted Nilson Nogueira, representative of the Viva o Esporte project.

The vice-president of the Ramacrisna Institute, Solange Bottaro, emphasized her pride in the young athletes’ performance. “Participating in an event of this magnitude is already a great achievement. Returning with three medals confirms that we are on the right track,” she stated.