Telma Monteiro: "This medal is another evidence that I am still at the top"

Telma Monteiro won the bronze medal at the Judo European Championships recently held in Tel Aviv, Israel. In the return to Lisbon, the Benfica athlete was pleased with another "very special" achievement.

“This medal adds even more value to my career. This one is very special because last year, when I started competing, I was returning from injury and I was still gathering pace, but then I won the gold medal in the Grand Slam, in Russia, and now this medal is another evidence that I am still at the top of this category, in my sport, and that makes me very happy. It means that my work is going well and that age is just a number.”, revealed the judoka from Benfica in statements to BTV.

Telma Monteiro is used to taking a place on the podium and says that henceforth she wants to walk in the same direction.

“To be able to keep the results, the level and be consistent. The podium changes every year, but the truth is I remain there and that is extremely positive. I won four fights by the maximum advantage, the only combat I lost was closely fought”, remembered Telma Monteiro.

As for objectives, Telma Monteiro has them well-defined: “The next objective is to do a good preparation for the Olympic qualification. I have two competitions in the Summer, two Grand Prix, and then I have World Championships, which is the most important event this year, and the objective is to get a good score to begin the Olympic qualification in the best way possible. I have two years ahead of me, but I need to be consistent and strong for things to happen. It is a very demanding qualification, but I am confident that, if I continue working well, with my team, things will go well”, she said.

At 10:30 pm on Tuesday, May 1st, Telma Monteiro and other judokas from Benfica will be present in the SL Benfica and Hajime Mega Judo Class, at the Synthetic Turf of the Estádio da Luz. There will also be an autograph session with the judokas.

Texto: Márcia Dores

Fotos: Isabel Cutileiro / SL Benfica