Olympian Valentina Moscatt extremely surprised by lucky qualification

Valentina Moscatt is highly and pleasantly surprised about her sudden qualification for the Olympic Games in Rio. The Italian lightweight was notified by the Italian Judo Federation after the IJF had information FIJLKAM that an athletes of Oceania had withdrawn.

Moscatt was fished out after it wasn’t possible to reallocate the share. The open spot was then returned to the disposal of all athletes who were on the edge of qualification but didn’t make it.

The current number 23 of the IJF World Ranking was nr 21 at the end of the qualification period in May. Moscatt didn’t believe what she heard. "I had just finished my practice, and I was in the locker room when I received the phone call which informed me of this “repechage”. I still I do not believe it and don’t understanding anything.” Nonetheless Moscatt, a former top 10 athlete U48kg was extremely happy and so were her teammates who just went to their trip to the Training Centre in Castelldefels in Spain.

This year Moscatt won the Pan American Open in Buenos Aires. Last year in May she won bronze at the Grand Prix in Zagreb. This year she was fifth at the European Championships in Kazan. In 2007 she won a European silver medal.

She is the successor of Elena Moretti who lost to bronze medallist Paula Pareto (ARG) at the London Olympic Games. In 2004 Giuseppina Maccri fought one match. In 1996 Giovanna Tortora fought four matches until the quarter final. Tortora was also at the Olympic Games in 1992, but never Italy succeeded to take a medal in this weight category. In London Rosalba Forciniti was the last Italian to medal.

Moscatt joins the team with Odette Giuffrida, Edwige Gwend, Elios Manzi, Fabio Basile and Matteo Marconcini. In her career she defeated current Olympians such as Eva Csernoviczki (HUN), Julia Figueroa (ESP), Otgontsetseg Galbadrakh (KAZ), Dilara Lokmanhekim (TUR), Dayaris Mestre Alvarez (CUB), Maryna Cherniak (UKR), Irina Dolgova (RUS) and others.