Rafaela Silva: From Triumph to Defeat and Back Again

Brazilian judoka Rafaela Silva, who rose to fame after winning Brazil's first gold medal at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, revealed that she wanted to quit the sport due to harsh criticism and racist insults she received following her first Olympic failure in London 2012.

"I think that if I had given importance to those criticisms at that time, when I spent months without training, today I wouldn't be here with my dream come true of having an Olympic medal," said Silva in an interview with dpa agency in Rio de Janeiro, just as one year passes since her great sporting triumph (August 8).

The unexpected defeat in London then unleashed a storm of personal criticism against her, she recalled. Despite arriving as one of the favorites, the then 21-year-old judoka suffered a traumatic elimination in the second round for an illegal move against her opponent.

"That was when I thought about quitting judo because many people criticized me. They said that judo was not for me, that I was a disgrace to my family, that a monkey belonged in a cage and not the Olympics," she said.

"I didn't want to feel that way again and I told my coach that I didn't want to do judo anymore," Silva remembered.

Her redemption came four years later, just steps away from the favela where she grew up, Cidade de Deus, also known for a famous Brazilian movie from 2002.

"It was a very good feeling, to fulfill my dream five minutes away from the place where I was raised," Silva said. "And seeing my family and everyone crying, and my coach... it's a feeling that cannot be expressed."

Life is smiling at her now, and 25-year-old Silva has been able to buy her own house thanks to the fees she earns (up to $9,500) for giving motivational speeches to entrepreneurs, telling her story of overcoming adversity after growing up as a young black and poor woman.

She also participates in the recording of a TV "reality show" talent search, where she and fellow Olympic champion Sarah Menezes (London 2012) train two groups of contestants in a judo competition.

Despite these engagements, Silva's dream remains to win another Olympic medal. "I'm fighting for that, to secure my spot and compete in more Games in Tokyo 2020," Silva affirmed.