Beneficiary of the Ministry of Sport's Grant Programme, Adriana Araújo guaranteed the first medal for Brazil in women?s boxing this Monday (06.08), in the year that the sport made its Olympic debut.  Women?s boxing had only taken part in the Olympics once, as an exhibition sport, at the 1904 Saint Louis Games in the USA.

For the quarter-final of the 60kg category, Adriana Araújo, 31 years of age, from the state of Bahia, five-time Pan American Champion, beat Moroccan Mahjouba Oubtil by 16-12. For now, she has guaranteed a bronze medal, but might win the silver or gold if she gets through the semi-final. In Olympic boxing rules, there is no third place fight, thus, those who lose in the semi-final take home the bronze.

In the semi-final, which will take place on Wednesday 8th of August, at 10.15 (Brazil time), Adriana will face Russian Sofya Ochigava, who today beat New Zealander Alexis Pritchard 22-4. The Russian has also beaten Adriana at the World Championship. On her debut in London, last Sunday 5th of August, Adriana had already beaten Kazakhstani Saida Khassenova 16-14.

Adriana, a beneficiary of the Athlete Grant Programme since 2007, has won Brazil's one hundredth medal in Olympic Games, boxing's first in forty-four years.  Brazil?s one and only medal in boxing at the Olympics, was the bronze won by Servílio de Oliveira at the 1968 Games in Mexico City. "I am very happy that I have guaranteed this medal for my country. We had ten good boxers from Brazil here, but I am happy to have been the first to win. I hope that women?s boxing gets more visibility now" said Adriana, who also talked about the hurdles that await her in the semi-final. "The Russian has been World Champion before and is the current runner-up. She beat me in the last World Championship. But I want to see how far I can go", stated the Brazilian boxer after the fight.

Beneficiary of the PETROBRAS Sport & Citizenship Programme, the boxer qualified for the London Olympig Games on the 15th of May during the Women?s Boxing World Championship in Qinhuangdao in China, where 341 athletes from 77 countries competed.

Adriana?s coach is Luiz Dórea, who trains UFC Champion Junior Cigano dos Santos. After playing football between the ages of 12 and 17, when she managed to play for Vitória (team from the state of Bahia), the athlete from the city of Salvador was introduced to boxing by a friend.  She had to face her mum?s resistance, who did not like her daughter getting home all bruised - after her first few wins, her mother began to encourage her. Since then, she has been training with men to improve her punches and defence. "I prefer it like this: it helps me to evolve in the sport."