Natália Falavigna

Natália Falavigna
Personal information
Born May 9, 1984 (1984-05-09) (age 32)
Maringá, Paraná state, Brazil
Medal record
Women's taekwondo
Representing  Brazil
Olympic Games
2008 Beijing +67 kg
World Championships
2005 Madrid −72 kg
2001 Jeju −63 kg
2007 Beijing −72 kg
2009 Copenhagen +73 kg
Pan American Games
2007 Rio de Janeiro +67 kg
South American Games
2002 Rio de Janeiro −72 kg
2014 Santiago +67 kg
Summer Universiade
2009 Belgrade +72 kg
2003 Daegu −72 kg

Natália Falavigna da Silva (born May 9, 1984[1] in Maringá, Paraná state[2][3]) is a taekwondo athlete from Brazil. She finished in the fourth place in the women's 67-kilogram category in taekwondo at the 2004 Summer Olympics on August 26,[3] and won the bronze medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics. It was the first Brazilian Olympic medal ever in taekwondo.[4]

Personal life

Falavigna was born in Maringá, and grew up in another city in the Paraná state, Londrina. At the age of four, she saw judoka Aurélio Miguel win a gold medal in the 1988 Summer Olympics and was inspired to become an athlete.[5] She practiced volleyball, basketball, soccer, swimming, and the first she dedicated the most, handball. In 1998, Falavigna was introduced by a friend to taekwondo, and while the first classes were "by impulse", the coach said Falavigna had potential and could become world champion. Two years later, she won the World Junior Taekwondo Championships in Ireland, becoming the first Brazilian to do so.[6] In the four years that followed, Falavigna ended up on the top three in 9 of the 11 international competitions she entered. In 2003, Falavigna entered a state of depression and even considered trading taekwondo for tennis, but found a new strength to the sport after winning silver at the 2003 Summer Universiade.[5]

Achievements

Natália Falavigna won the following competitions:[2]

Awards

Falavigna won the Brazilian Olympic Award's Women's Best Athlete of the Year in 2005,[7] and also won the 2002,[8] 2003,[9] 2004,[10] 2005,[7] 2006,[11] 2008,[12] and 2009 Best Taekwondo Athlete.[13]

Career

2000 World Junior Taekwondo Championship

In 2000, two years after starting practicing taekwondo, Falavigna won the World Youth Taekwondo Championship, held in Killarney, Republic of Ireland.[3][14] It was the first international tournament that she participated in.[3]

2001 World Taekwondo Championship

In 2001, in the World Taekwondo Championship held in Jeju, South Korea, Natália Falavigna won the Bronze Medal.[15]

2004 Summer Olympics

Natália Falavigna competed for the first time in the Olympics in 2004, when she finished in the fourth place in the competition. She was defeated in the semifinal by Chinese Chen Zhong. In the Repechage semifinals she defeated Italian Daniela Castrignano, but was beaten by Venezuelan Adriana Carmona in the Bronze medal match.[16]

2005 World Taekwondo Championship

In 2005, in Madrid, Spain, Natália Falavigna defeated British Sarah Stevenson in the final, and won the World Taekwondo Championship.[17]

2007 World Taekwondo Championship

Falavigna won the Bronze medal in the 2007 World Taekwondo Championship held in Beijing, China.[18]

2007 Pan American Games

Natália Falavigna performed the oath of the athletes at the opening ceremony of the Fifteenth Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro.[19]

She won the silver medal at the women's +67-kilogram category. Falavigna defeated Venezuelan Aura Paez in the semifinals,[20] but was defeated by Mexican Rosario Espinoza in the Gold medal match.[21]

2008 Summer Olympics

The 2008 Olympic Games, held in Beijing, China, was Natália Falavigna's second participation in the Olympics. In the first stage, she defeated 3–1 the Greek Kyriaki Kouvari.[22] In the quarterfinals, Natália Falavigna beat the Australian Carmen Marton 5–2,[23] but she was defeated by Nina Solheim of Norway in the semifinals.[24] Falavigna won the Bronze medal after beating the Swedish Karolina Kedzierska 5–2 in the Bronze medal match of the Repechage.[25] Natália Falavigna's bronze medal was Brazil's first Olympic medal ever in taekwondo.[4]

2009 World Taekwondo Championship

In 2009, in the World Taekwondo Championship held in Copenhagen, Denmark, Natália Falavigna won the Bronze Medal.[26]

References

  1. ↑ "Natália Falavigna" (in Portuguese). Terra. Retrieved 2008-08-20.
  2. 1 2 Guia do Pan – XV Jogos Pan-Americanos. Rio de Janeiro: Lance!, 2007
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Natália Falavigna" (in Portuguese). UOL. Retrieved 2008-08-20.
  4. 1 2 "Falavigna: 'Não poderia sair dos Jogos sem medalha'" (in Portuguese). Gazeta Esportiva. 2008-08-23. Retrieved 2008-08-23.
  5. 1 2 "Natália Falavigna" (in Portuguese). UOL. Retrieved 2012-06-20.
  6. ↑ Marcelo Zorzanelli; Flavio Machado; Isabel Clemente (2008-08-29). "Olimpo cor-de-rosa". Época (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2012-06-20.
  7. 1 2 "VII Prêmio Brasil Olímpico" (in Portuguese). Brazilian Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-07-18.
  8. ↑ "IV Prêmio Brasil Olímpico" (in Portuguese). Brazilian Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-07-18.
  9. ↑ "V Prêmio Brasil Olímpico" (in Portuguese). Brazilian Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-07-18.
  10. ↑ "VI Prêmio Brasil Olímpico" (in Portuguese). Brazilian Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-07-18.
  11. ↑ "VIII Prêmio Brasil Olímpico" (in Portuguese). Brazilian Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-07-18.
  12. ↑ "Veja a lista dos vencedores do Prêmio Brasil Olímpico por esporte" (in Portuguese). UOL. 2008-11-24. Retrieved 2008-11-24.
  13. ↑ "COB anuncia nesta segunda-feira (21) os melhores atletas de 2009" (in Portuguese). Brazilian Olympic Committee. December 20, 2009. Retrieved June 3, 2011.
  14. ↑ "3rd World Junior Taekwondo Championships". World Taekwondo Federation. Retrieved 2008-08-20.
  15. ↑ "Taekwondo World Championships Women: -63 kg". Sport123. Retrieved 2008-08-20.
  16. ↑ "Falavigna cai na disputa do bronze diante de venezuelana" (in Portuguese). UOL. 2004-08-29. Retrieved 2007-07-18.
  17. ↑ "Brasileira vence mundial de Taekwondo" (in Portuguese). Tribuna Catarinense. 2005-04-15. Retrieved 2007-07-18.
  18. ↑ "Algumas notícias retiradas do site da WTF sobre o Mundial de Taekwondo na China" (in Portuguese). Taekwondo.com.br. 2007-05-23. Retrieved 2008-08-20.
  19. ↑ "Cerimônia de abertura para ficar na história" (in Portuguese). Gazeta Esportiva. 2007-07-13. Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-07-18.
  20. ↑ "Schedule and Results by Sport – Taekwondo" (in Portuguese). 2007 Pan American Games official website. Archived from the original on 2007-08-12. Retrieved 2007-07-18.
  21. ↑ "Natália Falavigna perde na final e fica com a prata no taekwondo" (in Portuguese). Folha Online. 2007-07-17. Retrieved 2007-07-18.
  22. ↑ "Esperança no taekowndo, Natália Falavigna vence e vai às quartas" (in Portuguese). UOL. 2008-08-22. Retrieved 2008-08-23.
  23. ↑ "Natália Falavigna vence a segunda e vai à semifinal no taekwondo" (in Portuguese). UOL. 2008-08-23. Retrieved 2008-08-23.
  24. ↑ "Natália Falavigna perde de norueguesa, mas luta pelo bronze no taekwondo" (in Portuguese). UOL. 2008-08-23. Retrieved 2008-08-23.
  25. ↑ "Natália Falavigna é bronze no taekwondo" (in Portuguese). Globo Online. 2008-08-23. Retrieved 2008-08-23.
  26. ↑ "Taekwondo World Championships Women: -63 kg" (PDF). World Taekwondo Federation. Retrieved 2008-08-20.
Awards
Preceded by
Daiane dos Santos		 Brazilian Sportswomen of the Year
2005 		Succeeded by
Laís Souza
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