Athletes from the Olympic Velodrome win four medals at the South American Weightlifting Championships.

Brazilian weightlifting athletes, who train at the Velodrome in the Olympic Park in Barra da Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro, won four medals at the South American Adult/Under-20/Under-17/Under-15 Weightlifting Championship in Guayaquil, Ecuador. Sophia Massing won one silver and two bronze medals, and Stephany Assis won one bronze. Maria Clara Silva also performed well, finishing fourth in one of the events. The Pan-American Under-17/Under-15 Weightlifting Championship was also held there, with Brazil achieving 72 podium finishes across the two competitions.

 

– Ten years after the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, it is gratifying to see that the Olympic legacy remains alive. The Velodrome weightlifting team is proof of this, always achieving good results in competitions and helping to strengthen the sport by developing new talents – highlights the Municipal Secretary of Sports of Rio de Janeiro, Bruno Ramos.

 

The Olympic Velodrome, located in the Barra da Tijuca Olympic Park, has become one of the main centers of reference for Olympic weightlifting training in the city. The facility features equipment used in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, loaned by the Brazilian Navy, and directly impacts the development of new talent, reinforcing the sporting legacy. This is the case for athletes Sophia Massing and Maria Clara Silva, both 16 years old.

 

This was the second international competition for the young athletes, who started practicing the sport early and already demonstrate great talent. In April, they debuted at the South American Youth Games in Panama, finishing in the top half of the rankings: Sophia won bronze and Maria Clara finished sixth in her category. At the South American Games, held in Ecuador, Sophia won a silver and two bronze medals in the under-17 category (up to 53 kg). Maria Clara finished fourth in the clean and jerk and fifth in the snatch and overall.

 

– Participating in another international competition was incredible and another great experience and achievement in the sport I chose for my life. I believe my performance could have been better, but it was the best I could give that day. There's still a lot to come and we are working hard to win more and more medals in the future. The training location is very influential, the equipment is incredible, my coach always supports me in everything, and the people who always motivate me, who also have international experience or are from the sport. This really lifts me up on days when I don't arrive motivated to train – says Sophia.

 

Another athlete from the local area also shone in the competition, but among the adults: Stephany Assis. She won the bronze medal in the shot put, lifting 124 kg in the under 69 kg category.

 

The athletes' preparation for the competition takes place from Monday to Friday at the Velodrome, under the guidance of coach Diego Teixeira. Trained by the Brazilian Olympic Committee and with a postgraduate degree in weightlifting from Unisaúde Educacional, Diego began teaching high-performance sports in 2018. Currently, Diego coaches around 15 high-performance athletes at the Velodrome. For him, in addition to medals, the experience gained by the young athletes in international competitions will be fundamental for their future.

 

"It was sensational. Regardless of the medals, the experience they are gaining internationally will make them stand out in the future compared to athletes who only reach international competitions at an advanced age. Sending athletes to the Brazilian national team is a very good feeling. It's a sign that we are on the right track, developing within a space that is part of the Olympic legacy," says Diego.

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September 2th, 2026

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