Pará volleyball secures access and reaches the finals of the Caixa Youth Games in Brasília (DF)
Men's and women's teams qualified for the finals of the competition organized by the Brazilian Olympic Committee (COB)
The Pará volleyball shone this Wednesday (24) in Brasília (DF), securing access for both its men's and women's teams and qualifying for the finals of the Caixa Youth Games, organized by the Brazilian Olympic Committee (COB).
In the women's semifinal, Pará defeated Paraíba 2 sets to 1, ensuring a return to the national second division. In the men's category, the victory also by 2 sets to 1 against Ceará guaranteed access and a spot in the elite of the competition for 2025. The delegation is supported by the State Government through the Secretariat of Sports and Leisure (Seel).
The finals will take place this Thursday (25): the women's team faces Maranhão at 8 am at the Federal District Volleyball Federation Gymnasium, and the men's team takes on Brasília at 2 pm at the Military Command of the Planalto – Vera Cruz Gymnasium.
Emotion and overcoming on the court
Central player Cecília Góes, 15, highlighted the emotion of competing in her first national COB competition. "I am happy, this is my first COB, my first Brazilian. This final is important for us. We trained a lot to get here and our dream is to win gold and move up a division," she stated.
The coach of the women's team, Cristian Silva, recalled the group's overcoming. "It was emotional for me and for Elinho, because last year we fell, and now we are bringing Pará back up. For many girls, this is the last year, so securing at least silver is already special," said the coach.
In the men's team, setter Davi Lucena, 17, celebrated the qualification in his last year in the Games. "Last year we finished in fourth place, but today we managed to take this step and we will compete for the title. I am happy to end my representation of Pará in a final," said the athlete.
Coach Elinho Cunha emphasized the importance of the achievement. "Having both Pará teams in the finals is the result of hard work. The game against Ceará was tough, but we managed to neutralize and win in the tiebreak. It is a significant achievement for volleyball in our State," he said.
So far, the State has won eight medals: one gold, one silver, and six bronze, ranking 23rd overall.
Other modalities
Some modalities have already concluded their participation, such as judo, taekwondo, and badminton, with the delegation returning to Belém. The men's and women's handball teams also bid farewell this Wednesday (24), after losses that relegated the teams to the national second division.
Pará's medals in the Caixa Youth Games:
• Women's futsal: gold in the 3rd division, with access to the 2nd division;
• Women's basketball: bronze;
• Cycling: bronze in the women's sprint event;
• Wrestling: silver in individual Greco-Roman wrestling;
• Wrestling: two bronzes in teams (Greco-Roman and freestyle);
• Judo: two bronzes, with Ravi Botega (up to 55 kg) and Cláudio Santos (-90 kg).
