Edmilson Pedro Explained

Full Name:Edmilson Dengue Pedro
Birth Date:23 May 1997
Birth Place:Luanda, Angola
Weight Class:66 kg
Olympics Rank:R32
Olympics Year:2024
Olympics Weight:Men's 66 kg
Worlds Rank:R32
Worlds Year:2024
Worlds Weight:Men's 66 kg
Regionals Type:AF
Regionals Rank:1
Regionals Year:2022
Updated:28 July 2024

Edmilson Dengue Pedro (born 23 May 1997) is an Angolan judoka. He qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics and was named his country's flag bearer.

Biography

Pedro was born on 23 May 1997 in Angola.[1] He said that he "started practicing judo from the cradle", following after his older brothers who competed in the sport.[2] He is nicknamed "Bicho Papão" and competed for the judo department of the club Interclube.[3] [4]

Pedro made his debut for the national team at the 2015 African Judo Championships.[5] He became a decorated judoka in the Angolan ranks: by 2022, he had won the Luanda Province championship 10 times and the national championship eight times, also having been the national runner-up five times and provincial runner-up eight times.[5] He participated at the 2018 African Judo Championships, placing seventh, and also competed at the 2018 World Judo Championships.[1]

In 2022, Pedro competed at the African Judo Championships and won a gold medal in the 66 kg event.[5] [6] Later that year, he competed at African Open tournaments in Yaoundé and Dakar, winning gold at both.[1] For his 2022 season, he was honored by the Angolan Olympic Committee as the nation's best male judoka.[4] By February 2023, he had a global ranking in his weight class of 36th.[4] His 2023 season included a silver medal at the African Open in Tunis and a gold at the African Open tournament in Luanda.[1]

Pedro won bronze at the 2024 African Judo Championships and gold at the 2024 African Open in Luanda.[1] He qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics as the only Angolan judoka at the games, as well as the first-ever Angolan in the 66 kg weight class.[7] [8] [9] [10] He was the co-Angolan flag bearer at the opening Olympic ceremony.[11]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Edmilson Pedro. JudoInside.com.
  2. Web site: Edmilson Pedro: «Quero levar o nome de Angola aos Jogos Olímpicos-2024». Radio France Internationale. Edmilson Pedro: “I want to take the name of Angola to the Olympic Games-2024". Martins, Marco. 23 February 2023. French.
  3. News: Edmilson apurado para os Jogos Olímpicos. Jornal de Angola. PressReader.com. 26 June 2024. Portuguese. Edmilson qualified for the Olympic Games. Napoleão, Rosa.
  4. News: Judo: Edmilson Pedro homenageado pelo Comité Olímpico Angolano. Jornal de Angola. Portuguese. 28 February 2023. Judo: Edmilson Pedro honored by the Angolan Olympic Committee.
  5. News: Judoca do Interclube sagra-se campeão africano. Portal de Angola. 28 May 2022. Portuguese. Interclube judoka becomes African champion.
  6. Web site: Conheça Edmilson Pedro- O angolano campeão de África de Judo em 2022. PlatinaLine.com. 8 July 2022. De Sousa, Rosa. Portuguese. Meet Edmilson Pedro- The Angolan African Judo Champion in 2022.
  7. News: Edmilson Pedro leva o nome do Sintrense aos Jogos Olímpicos-2024. Jornal Desportivo. Portuguese. 24 July 2024. Edmilson Pedro takes Sintrense's name to the 2024 Olympic Games. Nunes, Miguel.
  8. News: Angolan judoka Edmilson Pedro qualifies for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Ver Angola. Costa, Tatiana. 25 June 2024.
  9. Web site: Edmilson Pedro ultima preparação para Paris em Portugal. Angola Press News Agency. Portuguese. 18 July 2024. Edmilson Pedro final preparation for Paris in Portugal.
  10. News: Edmilson e Andresa miram ouro. Jornal de Angola. 6 April 2024. Edmilson and Andresa aim for gold. Francisco, Adilson. Portuguese.
  11. Web site: Paris 2024 Opening ceremony flagbearers information. 26 July 2024. International Olympic Committee.