Stephanye Zavarella: “I Dedicate This Victory to My Family and My Country”

At the Pan American SAMBO Championships, held in Alajuela, Costa Rica, Venezuela's Stephanye Zavarella claimed gold medals in the women's -59kg category in both Sport and Combat SAMBO.

After her win in the Sport SAMBO final, Stephanye said the decisive match had been tense and unpredictable.

“It was a very hard-fought contest. Honestly, I'd initially pictured the match going a bit differently. But, thank God, I managed to handle the bout correctly and hold on to the advantage I had,” said the athlete.

A few minutes after her victory, Zavarella admitted that her own performance hadn't gone quite the way she'd planned.

“Honestly, it didn't turn out the way I'd pictured beforehand. I thought I'd be more aggressive. But that's how things worked out given everything that happened these past few weeks – there was an earthquake in Venezuela, and preparing for the competition took a back seat. I wasn't even sure we'd be able to make it to this tournament. But, by God's grace, some of the athletes called up to the national team managed to get here. And thanks to the Lord, we achieved the result we needed,” the champion shared.

For her, the toughest part wasn't so much her opponents on the mat as it was thinking about those who'd stayed behind at home.

“The hardest part was thinking about my teammates who stayed home and couldn't come. But that's exactly what gave me strength – I told myself I had to win for them. I felt their support, and it all came together,” the athlete admitted.

The Venezuelan dedicated her victory to her homeland and to the memory of those who died in the earthquake.

“I dedicate this medal to my country, thank you for all the support. And, of course, to those who died in the recent earthquake – those we couldn't see again, those who lost their lives, those who faced tragedy. I dedicate this to my family and my country,” said Stephanye Zavarella.