Diogo Silva
Encyclopedia
Diogo André Silvestre da Silva (born March 7, 1982 in São Sebastião
, São Paulo
) is a taekwondo
athlete from Brazil
. He finished in the fourth place in the men's 68-kilogram category
in taekwondo at the 2004 Summer Olympics
on August 27. Silva failed to qualify for the 2008 Summer Olympics
.
Silva was raised in Londrina
, Paraná
, and entered sports following a suggestion of his mother, which wanted him to enter an academy to stop fighting in the street. She wanted judo
, but Silva entered taekwondo because he wanted to fight "like the actors in fighting movies
". He cited as influences Jet Li
and Jackie Chan
, the latter being star of his favorite movies, Rumble in the Bronx
and Rush Hour.
Silva frequently protests against the lack of support of his sport, allegating to receive only $600 reais
"which come late, only between three and three months" from the taekwondo confederation, and having to spent R$5000 from his own pocket to train and compete in Europe.
medals, bronze in Santo Domingo 2003
Gold in Rio de Janeiro 2007
. He also received the Bronze in the 1998 World Youth Taekwondo Championship, and Gold in two South American Games
.
ian Hadi Saei Bonehkohal. At the repechage
, Silva defeated Italian
Carlo Molfetta and Gabriel Sagastume of Guatemala
, but was beaten by South Korea
n Song Myeong-Seob in the Bronze medal match.
At the Bronze match, Silva brought with him a Black Panthers
glove, because he wanted to protest against the lack of support of his sport in Brazil.
São Sebastião
São Sebastião is Portuguese for "Saint Sebastian". It may also refer to:-Brazil:* São Sebastião, Alagoas* São Sebastião, São Paulo* Ilha de São Sebastião, São Paulo, alternate name of Ilhabela* São Sebastião do Alto, Rio de Janeiro...
, São Paulo
São Paulo (state)
São Paulo is a state in Brazil. It is the major industrial and economic powerhouse of the Brazilian economy. Named after Saint Paul, São Paulo has the largest population, industrial complex, and economic production in the country. It is the richest state in Brazil...
) is a taekwondo
Taekwondo
Taekwondo is a Korean martial art and the national sport of South Korea. In Korean, tae means "to strike or break with foot"; kwon means "to strike or break with fist"; and do means "way", "method", or "path"...
athlete from Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. He finished in the fourth place in the men's 68-kilogram category
Taekwondo at the 2004 Summer Olympics - Men's 68 kg
These are the results of the men's 68 kg competition in taekwondo at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. A total of 16 men competed in this event, limited to fighters whose body weight was less than 68 kilograms...
in taekwondo at the 2004 Summer Olympics
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
on August 27. Silva failed to qualify for the 2008 Summer Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
.
Silva was raised in Londrina
Londrina
Londrina is a city located in the northern region of the state of Paraná, Brazil, and is 369 km away from the capital, Curitiba. Londrina was originally founded by British settlers. The city exerts great influence on Paraná and Brazil's south region...
, Paraná
Paraná (state)
Paraná is one of the states of Brazil, located in the South of the country, bordered on the north by São Paulo state, on the east by the Atlantic Ocean, on the south by Santa Catarina state and the Misiones Province of Argentina, and on the west by Mato Grosso do Sul and the republic of Paraguay,...
, and entered sports following a suggestion of his mother, which wanted him to enter an academy to stop fighting in the street. She wanted judo
Judo
is a modern martial art and combat sport created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either throw or takedown one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling maneuver, or force an...
, but Silva entered taekwondo because he wanted to fight "like the actors in fighting movies
Martial arts film
Martial arts film is a film genre. A sub-genre of the action film, martial arts films contain numerous fights between characters, usually as the films' primary appeal and entertainment value, and often as a method of storytelling and character expression and development. Martial arts are frequently...
". He cited as influences Jet Li
Jet Li
The fame gained by his sports winnings led to a career as a martial arts film star, beginning in mainland China and then continuing into Hong Kong. Li acquired his screen name in 1982 in the Philippines when a publicity company thought his real name was too hard to pronounce...
and Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan, SBS, MBE is a Hong Kong actor, action choreographer, comedian, director, producer, martial artist, screenwriter, entrepreneur, singer and stunt performer. In his movies, he is known for his acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, use of improvised weapons, and innovative stunts...
, the latter being star of his favorite movies, Rumble in the Bronx
Rumble in the Bronx
Rumble in the Bronx is a 1995 Hong Kong martial arts action comedy film starring Jackie Chan and Anita Mui. Released in the US in 1995, Rumble in the Bronx had a successful theater run, and brought Chan into the American mainstream...
and Rush Hour.
Silva frequently protests against the lack of support of his sport, allegating to receive only $600 reais
Brazilian real
The real is the present-day currency of Brazil. Its sign is R$ and its ISO code is BRL. It is subdivided into 100 centavos ....
"which come late, only between three and three months" from the taekwondo confederation, and having to spent R$5000 from his own pocket to train and compete in Europe.
Achievements
Diogo Silva won two Pan American GamesPan American Games
The Pan-American or Pan American Games are a major event in the Americas featuring summer and formerly winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Pan American Games are the second largest multi-sport event after the Summer Olympics...
medals, bronze in Santo Domingo 2003
2003 Pan American Games
The 14th Pan American Games were held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, from 1 to 17 August 2003. The successful bid for the games was made in the mid-1990s, when this country had one of the highest growth rates in Latin America....
Gold in Rio de Janeiro 2007
2007 Pan American Games
The 2007 Pan American Games, officially known as the XV Pan American Games, were a major continental multi-sport event that took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from July 13 to July 29, 2007. A total of 5,633 athletes from 42 National Olympic Committees competed in 332 events in 34 sports and in...
. He also received the Bronze in the 1998 World Youth Taekwondo Championship, and Gold in two South American Games
South American Games
The South American Games , formerly the Southern Cross Games are a regional multi-sport event held between nations from South America, organized by the South American Sports Organization .The first...
.
2004 Summer Olympics
Diogo competed for the first time in the Olympics in 2004, when he finished in the fourth place in the competition. He was defeated in the quarterfinals by IranIran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
ian Hadi Saei Bonehkohal. At the repechage
Repechage
Repechage is a practice amongst ladder competitions that allows participants that failed to meet qualifying standards by a small margin to continue to the next round.- Types of repechage :...
, Silva defeated Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
Carlo Molfetta and Gabriel Sagastume of Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
, but was beaten by South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
n Song Myeong-Seob in the Bronze medal match.
At the Bronze match, Silva brought with him a Black Panthers
Black Panther Party
The Black Panther Party wasan African-American revolutionary leftist organization. It was active in the United States from 1966 until 1982....
glove, because he wanted to protest against the lack of support of his sport in Brazil.