In an interview with Lusa, the 35-year-old judoka, who at Rio2016 gained the only podium for the Portuguese, says she feels “very good”.

“I’m up to the challenge, which is to be on the podium. (...) It will be extremely difficult, my weight category [-57 kg] is very competitive, if the last one [in the ranking] is on the podium, nobody is surprised. Every fight will be a final. I’ll be physically fit, and well prepared, and the psychological part will make the most difference”, she explains.

“It is a realistic goal, but I am aware of the difficulty”.

Asked if this would be the biggest challenge of her career, she says she has already had “many challenges that people don’t see. The biggest challenges are sometimes behind the scenes and competition is the result of what we go through on a daily basis”, she said.

Telma Monteiro, who will be taking part in an Olympic competition for the fifth time, will once again headline the parade of the Portuguese delegation, as in London2012 and at the end of Rio2016.

Portugal will be represented by 92 athletes, in 17 sports, at the Tokyo2020 Olympic Games, which will be take place between 23 July and 8 August, after a one-year postponement due to the Covid-19 pandemic.