Telma Monteiro won dozens of medals at top events throughout her 27-year career
Telma Monteiro, considered by many to be the best Portuguese judoka ever, has announced her retirement at the age of 38.
A bronze medallist at the 2016 Olympics in the women’s -57 kg event and a multi-medallist at the European and World Championships, Telma Monteiro represented SL Benfica for 17 years out of her 24-year career.
She will now take over as the judo coordinator at Benfica.
Monteiro is the most decorated athlete in European Judo Championships, winning gold six times. In World Judo Championships, she earned four silver medals and one bronze medal.
In an interview with BTV, Benfica’s television channel, Telma Monteiro reflected on having had “24 very special years” in her career. “Seventeen years with Benfica, a very special story that makes me very proud. I think about all the people who contributed to my career. Every ippon, every victory, defeat, fall…” she said.
“I finished exactly the way I wanted. I gave everything there was to give, and everything happened as it was meant to,” she added. Monteiro had failed to quality for the Paris Olympic Games and announced the end of her Olympic career in October.
