Olympian Elected New Pan American Judo President

(ATR) The Peruvian Olympian Carlos Erick Zegarra Presser this week became the youngest leader of a Pan American sports confederation.

Zegarra, 36, was elected president of the Pan American Judo Confederation during the virtual Annual General Assembly that also selected the new Executive Committee for 2021-2025, a period that will include two Olympic Games : Tokyo 2021 and Paris 2024.

The former super heavyweight judoka, a native of Lima, became the third Peruvian to head a continental federation today together with José Quiñones (Weightlifting) and Karin Sierralta (Surfing).

Zegarra, bronze medalist at the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, received unanimous support from the 31 National Federations that voted out of the 34 that make up the Confederation.

"It is a very special moment for me, for my family, for my friends," said Zegarra after recognizing the work of his predecessor, the Mexican Manuel Larrañaga.

"For the people who are going to accompany me and work together in this new executive committee, it is a great challenge indeed because we are in a very complicated moment of health," said the former athlete after highlighting the events held in the midst of the challenge of the epidemiological and financial situation.

"Not only do I have promises, I also have convictions," said the 2008 Olympic competitor who assured that "teamwork" will be the basis of his plans.

At the Beijing Games Zegarra (2.02 meters and 165 kilograms) defeated Argentine Sandro López in the second preliminary round before losing to Cuban Olympic bronze medalist Oscar Brayson. The South American would finish seventh at +100 kg.

His gallery of successes was further augmented by medals in IJF World Cup circuits, continental championships, Bolivarian Games and other international tournaments.

In 2010 he was a gold medalist at the World Cup in Apia, the capital of Samoa.

As president of the Peruvian Judo Federation, between 2012 and 2020, it is estimated that he left a particular stamp on the development of the sport in the Andean nation. Supporting the athletes was the focus of his work and, within the framework of the high performance, currently six Peruvian judokas maintain their aspirations of Olympic qualification to Tokyo despite the adversities of the pandemic.

"I became a manager because I was a 'rebellious' athlete. Being a good athlete does not make you a good manager, just as being a good athlete does not ensure you are a good coach. You have to train. I have learned along the way with the support of my fighters, my technical command and all the clubs. Together we have pushed forward our discipline. I see it very difficult for a sport to get ahead with the 'first person' syndrome," Zegarra said.

The new Executive Committee is made up of:

• President: Carlos Zegarra, Peru

• Secretary: Mike Tamura, Canada

• Treasurer: José Porfirio, Puerto Rico

• Director of arbitration: Ovidio Garnero, Argentina

• Director of education; Katiuska Santaella, Venezuela

• Sports director: Amadeus Dias de Moura Jr, Brazil

• Development Director: Rafael Manso, Cuba

• Administrative Director: Jose H Rodriguez, USA

Written and reported by Miguel Hernandez

For general comments or questions,click here.

Your best source of news about the Olympics is AroundTheRings.com, for subscribers only.