MT Government scholarship holders guarantee qualification for the Pan-American Wrestling Championships

Mato Grosso won four places for the Pan-American Wrestling Championship, which will be held in the second half of the year. The qualifiers took place last Saturday (04.05) and Sunday (05), during the Brazilian Interclub Championship under-15, 17 and 20, in the city of Serra (ES). The four athletes qualified to represent Brazil in the competition are covered by the Olimpus MT Project, a program from the State Department of Culture, Sport and Leisure (Secel-MT) providing financial support for athletes and coaches from Mato Grosso.

Athlete Raphael Duarte (110 kg) was classified to compete, in the Dominican Republic, in the Greco Roman style, in the U-17 category. Kyle Oliveira (97 kg and 97 kg) and Ângelo Café (67 kg and 70 kg) will compete in the Greco Roman (97 kg and 67 kg, respectively) and free style (97 kg and 70 kg, respectively) in the U-20 category, in the Peru. Yasmine Oliveira is now qualified to compete in the U-23 category, in Colombia. The competition takes place in different countries in America, due to the different ages and categories.

“It’s not just my victory, it’s a victory for everyone who stands by me and supports me, from my family to my coaches, my club and the State Government. For me it is very gratifying to be able to compete in the under-17 and qualify for the Pan. I will represent my State and my country with the utmost pride, intensity and emotion. I’m going to dedicate myself a lot to training so I can fight,” said the athlete.

Coach Luzia Fernandes, elected by the Brazilian Wrestling Confederation in 2023 as the best coach among men and women, said that the results could not be better.

“The Olimpus MT Project is reaping its fruits. We just have to thank Secel and the State Government, who, through Olimpus MT, have made all the difference in the lives of hundreds of athletes and coaches. Today we were able to work with more results and breathe a little easier with the certainty that the State supports us”, highlighted the coach.

In the opinion of Secel secretary, Jefferson Carvalho Neves, the athletes have lived up to the support given to them.

“Practically every week there is at least one of our athletes in an international, high-level sporting competition. When we see these athletes bringing so many achievements to our State and raising our flag with so much pride, we realize that we are doing our homework”, he concluded.