Thelma Monteiro drops out and complicates Olympic qualification

The Portuguese judoka Thelma Monteiro dropped out this Monday in the first bout of the World Championships in the under 57 kg weight category and further complicated the “scores” in the Olympic qualification, in which she is outside the qualifying zone.

Released in the first round in Abu Dhabi, the Benfica judoka (ranked 26th in the world) met with Azerbaijani Achelia Toprak (ranked 33rd) and was eventually defeated 10 seconds before the end, seeing the third “shido” (punishment) , which determines disqualification (do hansoku).

Thelma Monteiro tried to attack Toprak, whom she had already beaten the only time they fought in 2021, but the Azerbaijani was stronger in the second half of the four-minute period and the Portuguese was punished for passivity or false attacks.

With just over a minute left between the two judokas, and despite the support of coach Ana Hormigo, who often asked the Portuguese to calm down, under great pressure, Thelma was unable to produce any real attacks or imbalances.

Unsurprisingly, just seconds before the golden score was recorded, the referee penalized Thelma Monteiro for a third time, deeming it a false charge, despite the judoka shaking her head in disagreement.

Losing her first World Championship bout and only reaching the second round leaves Thelma Monteiro in a difficult situation regarding her participation in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

At the start of the World Cup, the last event to score points, Thelma Monteiro (2296) trailed Joao Fernando (2443), who holds one continental spot out of 25 allocated to Europe and one for each country, and Thais Pinu (2341). ), in excess quota (redistribution).

Olympic qualification depends on many variables, isolated or together, that must be met at these World Championships: João Fernando or Thais Pina enter direct classification in their categories, and Thelma Monteiro manages at the end of the World Championships to score more points than other judokas at the continental competitions (13 men and 12 women in Europe) or relocation (three more judokas).

It’s a difficult situation for Thelma Monteiro, the most decorated Portuguese judoka of all time, who only returned to the mat in April after a five-month break due to a serious injury.

A torn ligament in her left knee required surgery and an accelerated recovery for the judoka, who, despite this, missed many competitions and was unable to maintain her qualifying place at -57 kg.

The 2024 Olympic Games in Paris were always seen as a goal for Thelma, who at 38 was aiming to attend her sixth Games, a record not only for Portuguese women’s sport but also for world judo, where there is not a single female judoka left. have more than five participants.

Thelma Monteiro competed in Athens 2004, Beijing 2008, London 2012, Rio 2016, where she won a bronze medal, and Tokyo 2020, which will be held in 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

During her career, Thelma also has four silver and one bronze medals at the World Championships, 15 medals at the European Championships, six as European champion, two silver and seven bronze, as well as 24 medals at the Masters, Grand Slam and Grand Prix tournaments.

On the second day of the World Championships, which runs in Abu Dhabi until Friday and is the last competition to score points in the Olympic qualification, Otari Kvantidze (up to 73 kg) also competed in the team, while the judoka was also eliminated. in the first fight he defeated the Turk Umalt Demirel with a pin before 10 seconds, scoring a goal on a waza-ari.

Portugal will still have seven more judokas competing at the World Championships: Barbara Timo (-63kg), Joao Fernando (-81kg) and Henri Egutidze (-81kg) on ​​Tuesday, Thais Pina (-70kg) and Patricia. Sampaio (-78 kg) on ​​Wednesday, and Rochelle Nunez (+78 kg) and Jorge Fonseca (-100 kg) on ​​Thursday.