María Sara Grippoli Gagliardo (born 28 December 2004)[1] is a Uruguayan taekwondo practitioner. She qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics and was named her country's flag bearer. She is the first Olympic taekwondo practitioner from Uruguay.
 Grippoli in 2024 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 28 December 2004 Montevideo, Uruguay |
| Education | Universidad de la Empresa |
| Sport | |
| Country |  Uruguay |
| Sport | Taekwondo |
| Weight class | 49 kg |
Biography
editGrippoli learned taekwondo at the Lee Academy aged five, but did not begin fighting competitively until 2016.[2] Her two sisters are taekwondo practitioners as well.[2] By 2019, Grippoli had become a member of the national team.[1] She competed at the 2022 South American Youth Games in the 49 kg category and won the bronze medal.[2]
Grippoli began competing in senior competitions later that year, participating at that year's Pan American Taekwondo Championships.[1][3] By June 2023, she was ranked 48th globally in her category.[4] That month, she competed at the World Taekwondo Championships and placed 17th in her division.[4][5] She then won bronze at the Argentina Open in September 2023 and competed at the Pan American Games, ultimately placing fifth after losing the bronze medal match.[2][4]
Grippoli is coached by Uruguayan former taekwondo practitioner Mayko Votta, who competed at the 2007 Pan American Games.[6] In 2024, she won bronze medals at the Pan American Championships and at the Rio Open tournament.[3] She also won gold at the 2024 Pan American Taekwondo Olympic Qualification Tournament, thus qualifying her for the 2024 Summer Olympics.[6][7] She became the first Olympic taekwondo practitioner in Uruguayan history and was chosen her country's flag bearer at the opening ceremony.[1][4]
Grippoli studies engineering at the Universidad de la Empresa on a scholarship.[6]
References
edit- ^ a b c d Sobrero, Alberto (11 April 2024). "María Sara Grippoli, la joven que llevó al taekwondo uruguayo a los Juegos Olímpicos: "Sueño con pelearlos"" [María Sara Grippoli, the young woman who brought Uruguayan taekwondo to the Olympic Games: “I dream of fighting them”]. El País (in Spanish).
- ^ a b c d "María Sara Grippoli, la taekwondista uruguaya que hizo historia e irá a París 2024" [María Sara Grippoli, the Uruguayan taekwondo player who made history and will go to Paris 2024]. Montevideo.com.uy (in Spanish). 10 April 2024.
- ^ a b "Grippoli Gagliardo, Maria Sara". TaekwondoData.com.
- ^ a b c d "Juegos Olímpicos 2024: Emiliano Lasa y Sara Grippoli son los abanderados de Uruguay" [Olympics 2024: Emiliano Lasa and Sara Grippoli are the flags of Uruguay]. El Observador (in Spanish). 8 July 2024.
- ^ Laca, Adriana (31 May 2024). "Taekwondo: María Sara Grippoli debutó con triunfo y llegó hasta segunda ronda en el Mundial" [Taekwondo: María Sara Grippoli debuted with victory and reached the second round in the World Cup] (in Spanish). Tenfield.
- ^ a b c "¡Batacazo! María Sara Grippoli se clasificó al taekwondo de París 2024 e hizo historia en el deporte uruguayo" [Bump! María Sara Grippoli qualified for the Paris 2024 taekwondo and made history in Uruguayan sport]. El País (in Spanish). 9 April 2024.
- ^ "Sara Grippoli oro en taekwondo en Argentina y se va a Corea del Sur para preparar los Juegos Olímpicos" [Sara Grippoli won gold in taekwondo in Argentina and is going to South Korea to prepare for the Olympic Games]. El Observador (in Spanish). 2 June 2024.