Athlete From Rio’s Largest Slum Just Won Brazil’s First Gold Medal In Rio

“This is more than just a medal, it’s a victory for poor people. It’s hope for all of them.”


This Olympian defeated the odds in more than just sports.

Rafaela Silva, raised in the notorious Rio slum of Cidade de Deus, just won a gold medal in women’s judo on Monday, according to the Washington Post.

Silva won Brazil’s first gold medal of the 2016 Games, taking the title for the 57-kilogram division of women’s judo.

In the video interview below with Brazil’s SporTV, the athlete could not hold back her tears after she won gold.

“If it wasn’t for judo, I don’t know where I’d be now,” Silva said, according to a HuffPost translation. “I could still be playing in City of God, but thanks to God, I got involved in sports ― and here I am, world champion and Olympic champion.”


Silva, 25, spent the first eight years of her life living in Rio de Janeiro’s largest slum, Cidade de Deus, according to Sports Illustrated. The area gained fame thanks to the 2002 film, “City of God.”

http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_57aa0557e4b0ba7ed23d9901