Brazil had two bad results on the first day of the Jigoro Kano Judo Cup, held in Japan. The two athletes from the country who competed this Wednesday, the light (60 kg) Charles Chibana and the heavy (+ 78 kg) Priscila Marques , they didn’t get medals.
After getting past Dutchman Ruben Houkes, current world champion, by WO, and beating Fushuko Nagata, from Macau, by ippon, Chibana lost to Frenchman Cyril Soyer and, in the repechage, was eliminated by Japan's Fukuoka Masaaki.
Priscila Marques' performance was even worse. The Brazilian lost the two fights she competed in the over 78 kg category. First, she lost to Japan's Mai Tateyama and was later defeated by France's Anne Mondiere in the repechage.
This Saturday, Brazilians Pedro Guedes (73 kg), Mayra Aguiar (70 kg), Danielli Yuri (63 kg) and Danielle Zangrando (57 kg) will take to the mat. The traditional tournament in Japan serves as preparation for the selection process that will define Brazilian judokas in Beijing-2008