Luanda — Angolan judoka Leonardo Barros (60kg) aimed Wednesday, in Luanda, to win a gold medal, in the African Open, taking place from the 4th to the 7th of this month, in the Kilamba pavilion, qualifying for the Olympic Games in Paris2024, in France.

Taking place for the second consecutive year in Angola, the athlete aims to crown the country with a gold medal, after the last edition (2023), in the same venue, winning only the silver and bronze medals.

Leonardo recently won the gold medal at the African Games in Accra (Ghana), and intends to repeat the feat, in Luanda, to guarantee a place at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

The number two in the African ranking is aware of the setbacks he may face in the race, but he explained that he will double his training, in two daily sessions, to obtain a good performance, in Luanda, and at the next African Championship in Cairo (Egypt).

For the Angolan medalist, the judokas from Cameroon and Côte d'Ivoire will be the main opponents, who could win the gold medal in the continental event.

Still regarding the Open, it will feature a total of 181 athletes, of which 103 are Angolans, at the cadet, junior and senior levels, of both sexes, representing various clubs and groups.

It is an open event, qualifying for the Olympic Games, scheduled in the official calendar of the African Confederation and the International Judo Federation. António Candeeiro (73kg), Adriano Tchissende (90kg), Piter Silva (100kg), Andreza António (57kg), Jeovana Freire (57kg), Leonardo Barros (60kg), Maria Niagi (70kg) and Aisha Maurício (58kg), are among national athletes with the possibility of obtaining a pass for "Paris'2024".

In addition to Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Democratic Republic of Congo, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire, Gabon, Guinea, Malawi, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Morocco, Mozambique, Niger and the Republic will participate in the competition. Central African.

Bosnia Herzegovina (Europe), Panama, Paraguay and Uruguay (South America) were the countries invited by the International Federation of the sport.

In the last edition, the national team won four gold medals, an equal number of silver medals and 19 bronze medals, in seniors. In juniors, he collected four gold, ten silver and 15 bronze medals, while in cadets he collected 12 gold, ten silver and eight bronze.