The Portuguese Bárbara Timo was eliminated in the first round of the -63 kg judo category, losing to South Korean Jisu Kim at the 2024 Olympic Games.
The judoka, who was the first Portuguese to compete this Tuesday, lost by ippon, just seven seconds from the end, after being immobilized (osaekomi) by South Korean Kim Jisu, ranked 16th in the world.
The match opened the day’s competition at the Mars-de-Champ Arena.
Bárbara Timo leaves her second Olympic Games with a worse performance than in Tokyo 2020, when she competed in the -70 kg category and had two matches.
After the defeat, the Portuguese athlete confessed, while crying, that she was very sad because she “worked hard” to reach the Olympic Games. Despite this, she feels she is “in the best shape”: “fast, strong, and confident.”
“Even during the fight, I could see that the match was tough, but there was a possibility. But here we are fighting against girls of the same level, sharp at their best,” she says.
Bárbara Timo admits that “it hurts a lot that it wasn’t enough” today. VIt will “hurt for a while,” she adds.
When asked about the next Olympic Games, she admits that it’s still difficult to think about Los Angeles 2028: “I don’t know. First, I think this sadness will take many days to pass…”
“From the moment I set my mind on wanting to go to Los Angeles, I will let you know. But for now, I just need some time and space because it was very hard to get here, and it’s very sad to end like this,” she acknowledges.
Timo recalls that “it’s a life of sacrifice, a life of travel, of being away from family, of injuries, of uncertainties.”