Her name is Patrícia Sampaio, she is a finalist in Communication Sciences at NOVA FCSH and she is ready to go to Paris to fight for a medal in Judo. Stay strong, Patricia!
We met her at the Centro Desportivo Nacional do Jamor, which has become his second home since she started training for the Paris Olympics. It’s the second time that Patrícia Sampaio, 25, is going to the world’s biggest and most prestigious sporting competition, and her nerves, well, her nerves are on edge.
“Tokyo was different: it was held in 2021, a year later than expected due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and there were so many restrictions that we didn’t end up experiencing everything we expected,” says the NOVA student, who was also injured twice in the months leading up to the competition.
Now, despite her ever-present nervousness, the judoka is in a different mood after becoming European champion in November 2023 – she was also the world junior champion – and has not stopped competing since.
“I haven’t stopped thinking about Paris since the end of the Tokyo Games,” she recalls, who became very emotional at the opening ceremony: “I even cried! Dreaming of a good result in the forthcoming Games, he also reveals that he continues to follow a very particular superstition: “I always wear the same outfit”.
Born in Tomar, she started judo at the age of seven, influenced by her brother Igor, who was already practising and eventually became her coach. “It’s just that he was already doing judo when I was born.” Recognition from her country did not take long, nor did revenge, which is why this year she agreed to become Queen of the Tomar Carnival.
Now she is one of 37 women in the Portuguese delegation – more equal and with the largest female contingent! – and that means that the challenge set by the Olympic Committee to make these the games of equality is being met. With the happy coincidence of being held in the same city where women competed for the first time in the modern Olympic Games.
From 26 July to 11 August, the two banks of the Seine will be the setting for all the festivities, but Patrícia’s attention is mainly focused on the Champs de Mars arena, which will host the football and judo matches and is expected to attract around 300,000 spectators.
“Reaching Olympus? Yes, for any athlete, taking part in the Games is the crowning glory of a successful career,” says the athlete, who trains twice a day, every day, and sleeps less than half a dozen hours a day. “It is a life of discipline”, she concludes.
The first bout is scheduled for the 1st in this venue, which is normally used for major events but has been converted for the Olympic Games.
It won’t be the first time it has made history: the Champs de Mars was the site of the launch of the first hydrogen balloon in 1783, the first Bastille Day celebration in 1790 and the setting for the 1985 film 007: A View to a Kill.
Now we hope that it will be the stage for another memorable moment: that of our Patrícia Sampaio climbing the podium and bringing home the coveted medal!
