Judo athletes from the Ramacrisna Institute had a weekend of major achievements during the Opening Tournament/Qualifier for the Brazilian Regional Championship, held in Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais. The competition marked the opening of the state calendar for the sport and brought together 681 athletes from 40 institutions across the state.

In the event, the institute’s judokas achieved important individual results. The young athletes Ray Lucas, Nicoly dos Santos, and Anna Júlia won gold medals in their respective categories. Lavinya Estavam also stood out as runner-up, while Eloa Matos and Isabela Rodrigues secured bronze medals. Athletes Davi Henrique, Sarah Alecrim, Yuri Keven, and Caio Emanuel also delivered strong performances, finishing in fifth place in their categories.

The individual results contributed to the Ramacrisna Institute winning three team trophies: third place overall in the Cadet category—considered the most competitive division of the tournament—along with third place overall in Cadet Women and third place overall in Junior Women.

With these achievements, Ray Lucas, Nicoly dos Santos, Anna Júlia, Lavinya Estavam, and Eloa Matos also secured qualification for the Brazilian Regional Championship, which will take place from March 27 to 29 at the Divino Braga Multi-Sport Gymnasium in Betim, Minas Gerais. Athletes who reach the podium at this stage will advance to the Brazilian Final Championship, which determines the national champions of the sport.

According to coach Caliton Silva, the results reflect the athletes’ dedication and the training work carried out by the institute. “It was a very intense competition, with the participation of the main teams in the state. Even so, our athletes performed extremely well, earning important podium finishes and securing places in the Brazilian Regional Championship. This shows that the work we are doing at the Institute is on the right track,” the coach highlights.

Brazilian Wrestling Championship

With little time to rest, some of the Ramacrisna Institute’s athletes are already preparing for another challenge on the national sports scene. Next Thursday (12), nine students from the institution will travel to Cubatão, São Paulo, to compete in the Brazilian Wrestling Championship in the under-17 and under-23 categories.

In addition to competing for medals, the athletes will also have the opportunity to apply for the Bolsa Atleta, one of the country’s main high-performance sports incentive programs, granted to competitors who reach the podium in national competitions.

For coach Caliton Silva, expectations for the competition are also positive. “We are taking a very dedicated team that has been training hard and gaining experience in state and national competitions. We expect to achieve good results in wrestling as well. For many of these athletes, in addition to the medals, there is the possibility of obtaining the Bolsa Atleta, which is a fundamental incentive for their sports careers,” he says.