Athletes Marcelo Fronckowiak, in the category up to 90kg, and Leonardo Gonçalves, in the weight of 100kg, arrived at the finals, but were defeated by Japanese competitors
O Brazilian had a remarkable performance at the Baku Grand Slam, winning two silver medals. The athletes Marcelo Fronckowiak, in the category up to 90kg, and Leonardo Gonçalvesin the weight of 100kg, they reached the finals, but were defeated by Japanese competitors, Sanshiro Murao and Dota Arai, respectively. Fronckowiak made his debut in Grand Slam finals by beating German Fabian Kansy and Russian Ikhvan Edilsultanov, before securing his place in the decision by overcoming Dutchman Frank de Wit in the semifinal. In the final fight, he could not overcome Murao, who stood out in the competition.
In turn, Leonardo Gonçalves, who occupies the first position in the ranking of the half-heavy category, had a solid path to the final. He beat Mukhamed-Ali Mataev in the quarterfinals and, in the semifinal, applied a strangulation that secured him the chance to fight for gold. However, in the final, he could not beat Dota Arai. Other representatives from Brazil, such as Rafael Macedo and João Cesarino, were not so lucky.
Macedo, in the category up to 90kg, was eliminated at the Golden Score, while Cesarino, who competed in the category over 100kg, was defeated in the first round. The Brazilian team now prepares for the next challenge, which will be the Grand Slam of Tashkent, scheduled to take place between February 28 and March 2. Before going to USBekistan, part of the team will remain at Azerbaijan to perform training.
Posted by Sarah Paula
*Report produced with the aid of AI
