Portugal's Rita Lourenço rebounded from a quarter-final loss against Brazilian gold medalist Gabriela Pereira to claim bronze in the -57 kg category by defeating two consecutive French opponents.
"Judo is a physical sport but it is also very mental.
An athlete being able to overcome themselves mentally is very important in order to score in contests following a defeat and manage to reach a medal," Lourenço said.
Lourenço credited her podium finish to collaborative preparation within her local club and regional training camps. "This medal is not only the result of my work.
It is the result of the work of many people, both in training camps and at the club," she said.
She expressed profound gratitude to local spectators for their vocal support during the repechage rounds. "Thank you very much.
I don't know how to thank everyone with words alone," Lourenço said.
In the men's -90 kg division, Spain's Pablo Fernandez Calero captured gold after navigating a grueling opening sequence of matches.
"I started a little badly. I did not feel comfortable with my judo.
The first contest was very long and it was very difficult for me to win. The second was more of the same, although my judo was improving.
In the semi-final and final, I felt very good, doing my judo," Fernandez Calero said.
He outlined a simple training philosophy behind his success.
"The secret is to train, train and train, compete, and never stop until victory is achieved," he said.
Fernandez Calero set clear goals for the remainder of the international season.
"I hope to go to the cadet Europeans and the Worlds, and there the objective is to win a medal," he said.
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After the tournament, athletes remained in the Algarve region for a three-day international training camp focused on mutual growth.
