Tokyo 2020 Olympics: Peruvian Judo Team Fights for Qualification
The Tokyo 2020 Olympics, a name that remains despite taking place in 2021, would have new members from the Peruvian delegation: six judokas are competing for qualification to attend the international event.
Dilmer Calle, Brillith Gamarra, Juan Postigos, Alonso Wong, Yuta Galarreta, and Yuliana Bolívar are the national athletes who can make a name for themselves in the distant 'Land of the Rising Sun': they already proved it at the Lima 2019 Pan American Games.
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Postigos and Wong competed in the Budapest Grand Slam in Hungary. The former ranked seventh and the latter among the top 16 competitors. This is a detail that should not be overlooked considering their preparation for the Olympics.
The president of the Peruvian Judo Federation, Carlos Zegarra, the technical command led by María Martínez, and all coaches and athletes are striving for the improvement and advancement of this discipline.
"There are six athletes: Dilmer Calle, Brillith Gamarra, Juan Postigos, Alonso Wong, Yuta Galarreta, and Yuliana Bolívar who have the possibility to go to Tokyo," said Zegarra.
"If two of them from this group qualify for the Olympics, it would be historic. It is important to highlight that we also want them to go to the Pan American Open in Guayaquil, Ecuador, and our team continues to accumulate points," he added.
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Peruvian judo has grown exponentially in recent years, achieving important victories and medals. This was reflected in the Lima 2019 Pan American Games: Alonso Wong, Yuliana Bolívar, and Yuta Galarreta won medals, and Fred Villalobos won another medal in the Parapan American Games.
It is worth noting that judo training has not stopped during the social isolation imposed by the pandemic, and they have now returned to in-person training in phases 1 and 2, with phase 3 expected to come soon.