Naomi Alejandra Soazo Boccardo (born 19 December 1988) is a

visually impaired Visual impairment, also known as vision impairment, is a medical definition primarily measured based on an individual's better eye visual acuity; in the absence of treatment such as correctable eyewear, assistive devices, and medical treatment� ...

Venezuelan

judoka is an unarmed modern Japanese martial art, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyclopedia Nipponica, "Judo"). ...

. She competed in a number of international events, such as the

International Blind Sports Federation The International Blind Sports Federation () is a non-profit organisation founded 1981 in Paris, France. It was formerly known as the International Blind Sports Association. IBSA's mission is to promote the full integration of blind and parti ...

World Championships, but is best known for being the only Venezuelan, in any sport, to have won a gold medal at the

Paralympic Games The Paralympic Games or Paralympics, also known as the ''Games of the Paralympiad'', is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of physical disabilities, including impaired muscle power and impaire ...

. She made her Paralympic Games début at the

2008 Summer Paralympics The 2008 Summer Paralympic Games (), the 13th Summer Paralympic Games, took place in Beijing, China from September 6 to 17, 2008. As with the 2008 Summer Olympics, equestrian events were held in Hong Kong and sailing events in Qingdao. It was ...

in Beijing, in the women's up to 63 kg category. Defeating Zhou Qian of

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

by ippon within less than a minute in her first match, she then defeated

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

's Elvira Kivi by

waza-ari is the second highest score a fighter can achieve in a Japanese martial arts ''ippon'' or ''waza-ari'' contest, usually judo, karate or jujutsu. ''Waza-ari'' in judo A ''waza-ari'' is the second highest score a fighter can achieve in judo, the ...

-awasete-ippon in the semifinal. In the final, it took her just three seconds to defeat Spain's completely blind

Marta Arce Marta Arce Payno (born 27 July 1977) is a B3 classified Spanish judo competitor who has represented Spain at the 2004, 2008 and 2012 Summer Paralympics where she has won a pair of silver medals and a bronze medal. Personal Arce was born in Va ...

by ippon and win Venezuela's first ever Paralympic gold medal.Venezuela at the Paralympics
International Paralympic Committee At the

2012 Paralympics The 2012 Summer Paralympics, branded as the London 2012 Paralympic Games, were an international multi-sport parasports event held from 29 August to 9 September 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. They were the 14th Summer Paralympic Game ...

Soazo lost her first bout to the eventual gold medalist, but continued competing through repechage, and lost a bronze medal match to

Daniele Bernardes Milan Daniele Bernardes Milan Da Silva (born 6 August 1984) is a former Brazilian Paralympic judoka who competed in international level events. References 1984 births Living people Sportspeople from São Bernardo do Campo Paralympic judoka fo ...

. At the 2016 Paralympics Soazo won a bronze medal in the 70 kg category.

Notes

References

External links

* * 1988 births Living people Venezuelan female judoka Venezuelan people of Japanese descent Paralympic judoka of Venezuela Paralympic gold medalists for Venezuela Paralympic bronze medalists for Venezuela Paralympic medalists in judo Judoka at the 2008 Summer Paralympics Judoka at the 2012 Summer Paralympics Judoka at the 2016 Summer Paralympics Medalists at the 2008 Summer Paralympics Medalists at the 2016 Summer Paralympics Medalists at the 2015 Parapan American Games Universidad Santa María (Venezuela) alumni Visually impaired category Paralympic competitors 21st-century Venezuelan women Venezuelan people with disabilities {{Venezuela-Paralympic-medalist-stub