Mayra Aguiar da Silva (born August 3 1991) is a Brazilian judoka.[1] She was a bronze medallist in three consecutive Olympics, 2012, 2016 and 2020. She is also three-time world champion (2014, 2017 & 2022). She is the first Brazilian woman to win three Olympic medals in an individual sport.
Aguiar was born in Porto Alegre and began judo training when she was young.
Aguiar trains under Kiko (Antônio Carlos Pereira) in a group with João Derly, Tiago Camilo and others in SOGIPA.[2] Derly and Camilo are also her sporting idols.[3]
In December 2008, Aguiar suffered a serious injury to her right knee. She was unable to perform any judo training for almost ten months, coming back only in September 2009.[4]
Aguiar is one of the most talented Brazilian judokas in history.[citation needed] When she was 16 years old, she competed at 2007 Pan American Games and won a silver medal.[5]
In 2008, Aguiar competed at Olympic Games in Beijing but lost her only match with Spanish judoka Leire Iglesias.[6]
In 2009, Aguiar missed the whole season because of a knee injury.
In 2010, after an injury, Aguiar changed category from middleweight to half-heavyweight[7] and won a gold medal at 2010 Pan American Championships in El Salvador. In September of that same year, she participated at the 2010 World Championships and lost the final to Kayla Harrison from the United States, receiving the silver medal.[8]
In 2012, Aguiar won a bronze medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics, winning three matches by ippon. Her only defeat was again to Harrison, who won the semifinal on the way to a gold medal.[9]
Aguiar became the world champion in 2014, defeating the French Audrey Tcheuméo in the final.
With Brazil hosting the 2016 Summer Olympics and Aguiar's recent triumphs, she was the favorite to win the gold.[10] A difficult semi-final against Tcheuméo, where Aguiar was kept scoreless and was defeated on penalties, sent her again to the bronze match, which Aguiar won, giving her a second Olympic medal.[11][12]
In 2021, Aguiar won one of the bronze medals in the women's 78 kg event at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.[13]
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| Year | Tournament | Place | Weight class |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Pan American Games | 2nd | Middleweight (−70 kg) |
| 2008 | Olympic Games | 20th | Middleweight (−70 kg) |
| 2010 | Pan American Championships | 1st | Half-Heavyweight (−78 kg) |
| 2010 | World Championships | 2nd | Half-Heavyweight (−78 kg) |
| 2011 | Pan American Championships | 2nd | Half-Heavyweight (−78 kg) |
| 2012 | Olympic Games | 3rd | Half-Heavyweight (−78 kg) |
| 2016 | Olympic Games | 3rd | Half-Heavyweight (−78 kg) |
| 2017 | World Championships | 1st | Half-Heavyweight (−78 kg) |
| 2019 | Pan American Championships | 1st | Half-Heavyweight (−78 kg) |
| 2019 | World Championships | 3rd | Half-Heavyweight (−78 kg) |
| 2019 | Pan American Games | 1st | Half-Heavyweight (−78 kg) |
| 2021 | Olympic Games | 3rd | Half-Heavyweight (−78 kg) |
| 2022 | World Championships | 1st | Half-Heavyweight (−78 kg) |
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