Paula Pareto bites the gold medal at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games

Each athlete has a dream when starting their career: to win a gold medal at the Olympics and take a picture biting it. Argentina’s Paula Pareto has already achieved it three years ago in Rio de Janeiro, but as a good athlete and winner she wants to repeat her performance at Tokyo 2020.

That glorious and unforgettable day on August 6, Pareto (better known as “La Peque”) stepped on the Carioca Arena 2 tatami with a mission: to be the first Argentine to win a gold medal in an individual competition in the Olympic Games history. To reach the final, she had to beat three opponents: a Russian, a Hungarian and a Japanese. In the last combat, she competed against Bo Kyeong Jeong from Korea.

How did she win the gold medal?

Waza-ari was the technique that helped Paula to reach the top of the podium of the -48 kg category and be on the cover of thousands of news websites. A stand packed with fellow Argentinians created the perfect environment to take the perfect picture. However, that was not her only victory.

From that moment on, she became the number one contender in all tournaments she has participated in. However, since she claimed the title at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, Pareto decided to also dedicate time to her other passion: her medicine career. Despite the pressure of being an Olympic champion in her category, she has overcome that obstacle and beat her rivals to obtain more medals.

Paula Pareto at the VIDENA

A couple of months ago, she was present at the Sports Center 1 of the VIDENA (where judo competitions will take place during the Pan American Games), and she took the first place once again. It was for the Pan American Judo Championships. She has won three champions in a row: in 2017 in Panama; last year in San José, Costa Rica; and this year at the VIDENA.

Paulo Pareto at the Grand Slam

In March she traveled a great distance to Russia to compete at the Ekaterinburg Grand Slam, her first tournament of the year. And, as expected, she won the final. But it was not an easy win. During her combat against the Spanish Julia Figueroa, none of them had advantage, and the winner was decided by golden score: Paula Pareto won because her rival was awarded three penalties. For the Pan American Games, scheduled to start on July 26, she has the same strategy: take it step by step, defeat anyone who stands on her way and obtain points for the world ranking that will decide her participation at Tokyo 2020. Join her to fight for her dream once again and buy your ticket for Lima 2019 here!