The gold medals won by Zulia judokas <a href="https://www.archysport.com/2024/11/youth-nationals-judo-boosts-zulia-with-two-gold/” title=”YOUTH NATIONALS: Judo Boosts Zulia With Two Gold”>Marielis Duno and Jeslenny Belestrini did not surprise the team of this discipline in Zulia because they worked very hard to achieve it. That was the goal of both athletes.
What the victory did bring was a lot of joy for the entire state, which had seen the first day pass with two bronze medals, dawning on Sunday in last place and this achievement took it to 15th along with another pair of bronze medals.
The first to celebrate was Marielis Duno, who won the 78 kg division, to climb to the top of the podium for her first gold in the National Games.
«At the moment I felt a thousand emotions, I wanted to cry. The fatigue, pain of everything, but with a very clear objective: Bring that medal to Zulia. “I feel super happy, proud of myself, knowing that I gave my state the first gold medal fills me with pride,” said the robust exponent of the martial art.
He explained that as the fights progressed they became more difficult and in the semifinals it was one of the toughest matches against Bolívar’s rival. “There I tried not to think, I did the work, I listened to what each of my coaches told me, both Sensei Yang, Sensei Raquel and Sensei Carlos, the key objective was to bring that medal,” he noted.
The champion fulfilled her goal of repeating victory in the final, just as she did in the qualifiers.
«I was not planning to leave the medal in another state. Despite everything, we worked as expected, I gave my best, I left my soul and nothing, super happy,” he said.
He points out that next year he hopes to win the national championships, make the national team and continue representing the state. “I dedicate this mainly to God and my China, to my parents, my sisters, my coaches Yang Moon Kun and Carlos Díaz,” he concluded.
The Lake, China and Bridge cry helped Jeslenny
«I am super proud of myself and the result, super happy to have left Zulia at the top of the podium. I really felt like crying with happiness, even more so when I turned around and saw the happy faces of my teammates and coaches. And that cry of Lake, China and Puente that my teammates gave,” said Jeslenny Belestrini when giving her impressions of the victory.
The exponent of more than 78 kilograms gave the state the second joy when it had not yet finished celebrating Duno’s first gold.
“Every fight is strong, you feel horrible pressure, a feeling of not knowing what is going to happen, but I always go out with everything to give my best and not let myself be intimidated by anything or anyone,” he explained.
She said that the key to winning was trusting in herself, in her training, in what she suffered and cried, in all her frustration, but also in the happiness she experienced during the time of preparation for these games. “I put all that together and went out to win,” he said.
She added that next year the first challenge will be the junior national championship, training from now on to maintain her position as national champion.
«This medal goes to each of my teammates because judo, although it is a sport that is competed individually, is trained as a team and thanks to them I have learned a lot, to my coaches who always give their best, to “My family, who is always supporting me from home, to the Zulia state association for supporting us at all times,” he said.
The job was for three golds
Carlos Díaz, president of the Zulia state Judo Association and coach of the champions, said that the discipline has been working hard to recover the competitive level in the different categories.
“Today Zulian judo has triumphed, despite many situations we moved forward, there is our work, that of our national team coaches, which is tireless,” he stated.
He added that, in addition to Duno and Belestrini, Yuslermi Perozo was another of Zulia’s cards for gold.
«Unfortunately with Yuslermi (third place in the qualifier), first place could not be achieved, finishing in fifth after losing the bronze medal to the representative of Lara. There is no luck here, we work to get the medals,” he noted.
Zulian judo finished in third place in the overall medal table of the discipline, behind Bolívar and Falcón and above great powers such as Carabobo, Miranda, Lara and Aragua.
«We did not have the preparation that we should have, not because of lack of resources, but because of the time in which the resources were available. “Sports training is done scientifically, there are periods that cannot be altered, and the big problem is that, as long as sport continues to be seen as an expense and not as an investment, Zulian sport will continue to be at the bottom of the medal table,” stated the also sports director of the University of Zulia and university professor.
Taken from Bravo Sport/ Luis Bravo
Photo: Courtesy
