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Rio 2016: Brazilian judoka Miranda confident of "home" podium finish

Xinhua, April 27, 2016 Adjust font size:

Brazilian judoka Erika Miranda is confident she will reach a podium finish in the upcoming Olympic Games to be held "at home" in Rio de Janeiro, the athlete told Xinhua on Tuesday.

The 28-year-old Brazilian will compete in the under 52 kilograms category in August.

Miranda has currently qualified for the category in third place and she is confident that she will put on a good show in Rio 2016.

"Judo is a winning sport for Brazil and the preparation work that we are doing is very serious," said Miranda.

Judo is one of Brazil's best Olympic sports, having won 19 medals in the discipline so far throughout the history of the Games. This total is only one less than the South American country has won in volleyball.

Miranda qualified for Beijing 2008 but had to pull out due to an injury.

In London 2012, she was knocked out in the first match. However, Miranda assured that she is now aware of how to properly prepare for Olympics and she has the advantage of being on home turf.

"For me, personally, It will be great. In all the other large competitions lots of travelling is involved. You have to get used to a different time zones, weather, food. At home it will be much better," the athlete said.

When asked about who she considers to be her biggest rivals in her quest for an Olympic medal, Miranda said that "everyone that qualifies" will be treated as a strong contender.

The athlete that was born in Brazil's capital city of Brasilia, began judo classes when she was 11 being motivated by her family.

Currently, Miranda is part of the Minas Tennis Club judo team in the city of Belo Horizonte.

The judoka has a large amount of trophies, including the silver medal that she won back in 2007 at the Pan American Games in Rio.

In the current Olympic cycle, Erika Miranda won the bronze medal in the 2013 World Cup, the silver in 2014 and the bronze once again in 2015. That year she also won the gold medal in the Pan American Games held in Toronto, Canada, and also in the Pan American Judo Championship in Edmonton, Canada, and the Judo Grand Slam held in Baku, Azerbaijan. Endit