The medal she fought so hard for
It was with a spirit of confidence that Telma Monteiro faced her participation in the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games. In her fourth consecutive participation, the judoka finally reached the podium, winning the bronze medal.
Telma Monteiro
Telma Monteiro's bronze medal won at the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games
8 August 2016
Telma Monteiro personal collection
A controversial decision by the referee took her out of the gold-medal path, but the judoka went into the fight
for 3rd place with determination. She faced the French Automne Pavia and secured a spot in the fight for the
Olympic medal. She then faced the Romanian Corina Caprioriu and emerged victorious, collecting the Olympic medal
she had fought so hard for:
“No matter how old you are, no matter how long you have to wait, the most important thing is not to give up. […]
It’s not just about winning a medal that I really wanted, it’s a moment when I take the opportunity to say that
it’s worthwhile not giving up on your dreams, it’s worth fighting for”.
Telma Monteiro
Other Highlights
Participation of Benfica Athletes in the Olympic Games
Olympic Football - First participation of Benfica athletes in the Olympic Games
1928
Manuel Dias - A marathon with obstacles
1936
Luís Howorth -
Benfica’s first and only participation in shooting
1952
Athletes quartet
- Casimiro, Eleutério, Matos Fernandes, and Paquete
1952
Alexandre Yokochi - Expectations exceeded in swimming debut
1984
António Leitão
- Bronze medal
1984
High hopes for young stars
- High moment of the “red” swimming
1988
Diogo Madeira
- Three participations, constant evolution
1996
Uchenna Emedolou
- Second “red” bronze medal
2004
Nelson Évora
- First gold!
2008
Vanessa Fernandes
- Silver that feels like gold
2008
Athletics
- A handful of good performances
2016
