Taís Pina’s bronze medal match against Aleksandra Andric was a nail-biter, with the Portuguese judoka ultimately coming up short. “It was a very long day, a tough match,” Pina said. “I had to push myself, but I started to tire, and she gained momentum.”
The 20-year-old from Algés had a strong start, imposing two penalties on Andric. However, the Serbian judoka fought back, equalizing the score with two shidos in the last minute. Andric’s persistence paid off in the golden point, where she landed a third penalty after 5 minutes and 8 seconds, securing the win.
Pina was visibly frustrated, having come close to winning a medal. “It’s very frustrating to get to the semifinals and lose, and then lose again in the bronze medal match,” she admitted. “I’m not happy with the result, but I’m hungry for more.”
Pina’s Progress
Despite the disappointment, Pina had reasons to be proud. She had beaten Lara Cvjetko, the world’s second-ranked judoka, earlier in the tournament. “I was thrilled to have won that match,” Pina said. “It was a great performance, but I’m not satisfied because I left without a medal.”
Pina’s achievement was notable, as she had also qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympics as a junior, following in Telma Monteiro’s footsteps.
Portugal’s Medal Hopes
With seven of Portugal’s nine judokas already in action, the final day of the individual competition promises to be exciting. Olympic medalists Patrícia Sampaio (-78 kg) and Jorge Fonseca (-100 kg) are set to compete on Saturday.
So far, Portugal’s best results are Catarina Costa’s silver medal and Taís Pina’s fifth-place finish. The team will be looking to build on these performances.
- Femininos:
- -48 kg: Catarina Costa, 2nd place (3 wins, 1 loss)
- -52 kg: Raquel Brito, eliminated (1 win, 1 loss)
- -70 kg: Taís Pina, 5th place (3 wins, 2 losses)
- -70 kg: Bárbara Timo, eliminated (1 win, 1 loss)
- -78 kg: Patrícia Sampaio, to compete on Saturday
- Masculinos:
- -66 kg: Miguel Gago, eliminated (1 win, 1 loss)
- -73 kg: Otari Kvantidze, eliminated (1 win, 1 loss)
- -81 kg: João Fernando, eliminated (0 wins, 1 loss)
- -100 kg: Jorge Fonseca, to compete on Saturday
Portugal’s judokas are coached by Marco Morais and Pedro Soares.