RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — From the favela to the top of the podium, Rafael Silva earned Brazil's first gold medal of the Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
Silva, the country's first female world champion in judo, won the 57-kilogram division of the Japanese martial art on Monday as the crowd chanted "Rafa" and waved the green and yellow Brazilian flags.
The 24-year-old Silva beat Sumiya Dorjsuren of Mongolia after two days of disappointment on the mat for Brazil.
She also settled an old Olympic score. At the 2012 London Games, Silva was disqualified for an illegal leg grab during a fight against Hedvig Karakas of Hungary.