Brazil mixed judo team confident about Olympic medal chances

Brazilian judo coaches are confident the country can win a medal in the first Olympic mixed team event at Tokyo 2020 next year. The mixed team judo event's Olympic debut has been delayed following the postponement of Tokyo 2020 until 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Brazil have won two medals in the three competitions to have been held in the discipline at the World Judo Championships, claiming silver in Budapest in 2017 and bronze at last year's event in Tokyo.

The performances of the Brazilian squad in the mixed team event on the world stage has installed belief in the coaching staff that they can finish on the podium at Tokyo 2020, despite the possible absence of Olympic champion Rafaela Silva because of a doping ban.

"The Brazilian team has always shown a good performance in team competitions," Yuko Fujii, a technical coach with the Brazilian men's squad, told the Olimpiada Toda Dia website.

"We analysed and evaluated that our team, in addition to having strong athletes in each category, has a good energy as a team and is well united.

"And I believe that, if we manage to enhance the strength of each one as a team, we will have a great chance of getting on the podium."

Brazilian women's team coach Mario Tsutsui said previous results in the event have shown the nation is capable of winning a medal at the Games.

"We have a good chance of winning a medal in this competition for mixed teams," Tsutsui said.

"I believe that due to the previous conquests that Brazil had in similar events."

The mixed team judo event, featuring three men and three women representing each nation, was added to the Tokyo 2020 programme in June 2017.