Recipient of Brazil's first gold grew up a tough kid in an even tougher neighborhood

Recipient of Brazil's first gold grew up a tough kid in an even tougher neighborhood By Washington Post, adapted by Newsela staff on 08.17.16 Word Count 714 Brazil's Rafaela Silva (center) celebrates after winning the gold medal of the women's 57-kg judo competition at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, August 8, 2016. Photo: AP Photo/Markus Schreiber RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil - Judo champion Rafaela Silva won Brazil's ﬁrst gold medal of the Olympics. Judo is a Japanese sport in which two wrestlers try to pin each other to the ground. Moments after Silva won, she started crying. Wiping away her tears, she said that if it wasn't for judo, "I could still be playing in City of God." Five miles away, in Rio's "City of God" neighborhood, a doorman named Claudio Roberto joined a crowd watching the medal ceremony on a small television on the sidewalk. A national hero was a rare thing in the neighborhood. This favela, or slum, has a trash-ﬁlled canal running through its middle and gang grafﬁti tagging its walls. It is a dangerous place to live, with frequent shootings, crime and poverty. But the 24-year-old judo master has helped residents forget about their suffering, Roberto said.

Bringing Pride To City Of God "For this community, her victory means everything," said Tony Barros, a photographer and community organizer in City of God. What else will they get from the Olympics, he asked. Silva's smiling face appeared on the front pages of newspapers on Tuesday morning. The entire country was tremendously proud. Brazilians were seeing a face from a part of the country that is often ignored or mistreated. "City of God and Gold," read one headline. Almost one-quarter of Rio's inhabitants live in favelas. Most of the residents are poor and black. In 2009, when Brazil was chosen to host the 2016 Olympic Games, city officials promised to start projects that would give them a better life. One program called Morar Carioca was supposed to bring running water, a sewage system, paved streets and public lighting to all favelas by 2020. But by mid-2014, that program had ended. Meanwhile, about 60,000 people lost their homes. The government knocked them down to build arenas for the Olympics. Silva's Childhood In The Favela Silva's father, Luiz Carlos, arrived at City of God with his family in 1966, when he was 3 years old. "We used to run out of light all the time when I was a kid, run out of water. I had to go far away to buy cooking gas and carry it back," he remembered. Luiz Carlos Silva and his wife, Zenilda Silva, put their two daughters, Rafaela and Raquel, into sports classes. They wanted to keep the young girls out of trouble. The neighborhood was too dangerous for the girls to play outside. "We saw bandits fleeing from the police and raiding our house. We couldn't even play in the street like other children could," Rafaela Silva said. As a child, she lived in a three-story yellow concrete house on Jesse Street. She was tough and rambunctious, and chose judo at the local community center over dance classes. After she learned a few moves, the angry parents of other kids called her parents. "The mothers were complaining because she was beating up their boys and they didn't like it," her father said. Judo Opens Doors For Silva When Silva started judo training, her teachers realized she had a lot of talent. She moved to a judo school opened by a former Olympic medalist and blossomed into a junior champion. Her family eventually left City of God. On the day after Silva won her gold medal, her relatives gathered on the sidewalk outside the family home. Cousins, uncles and a grandmother in a wheelchair shared photographs of her and old newspaper clippings. "Thank God her father invested in her," said Christiane Silva, Rafaela's aunt. "Thank God she's still in this career."

After losing at the 2012 Olympics in London, Silva considered quitting judo. She was banned from the games after using a move that had once been common but had recently been outlawed. The heartbreak was made worse by cruel comments on the Internet that made fun of her dark skin. These words crushed her, and she stopped practicing. But many people, including her relatives and even Brazilian soccer star Neymar, encouraged her to go back to the sport. After a few months off, Silva resumed her path to the Olympics. "She showed everyone she is a proud human being," said her aunt Christiane. "We're really happy for her; we're happy for the City of God."

Quiz 1 Which selection from the article BEST supports the article's central idea? Judo champion Rafaela Silva won Brazil's first gold medal of the Olympics. Judo is a Japanese sport in which two wrestlers try to pin each other to the ground. Silva's smiling face appeared on the front pages of newspapers on Tuesday morning. The entire country was tremendously proud. Brazilians were seeing a face from a part of the country that is often ignored or mistreated. As a child, she lived in a three-story yellow concrete house on Jesse Street. She was tough and rambunctious, and chose judo at the local community center over dance classes. On the day after Silva won her gold medal, her relatives gathered on the sidewalk outside the family home. Cousins, uncles and a grandmother in a wheelchair shared photographs of her and old newspaper clippings. 2 Which of the following is the BEST summary of the section "Judo Opens Doors For Silva"? Silva succeeded because she is talented and because her community supported her. Silva would still be in the City of God if her family had not supported her. Silva trained with the best judo teachers but still broke the rules at the London Olympics. Silva inspires people who live in the City of God by overcoming many challenges. 3 In the introduction (paragraphs 1-3) Rafaela Silva is introduced in what way? by showing how her childhood helped her be successful in the Olympics by showing how inspired people from around the country feel by her story by describing her childhood in great detail using emotional language by describing the emotional connection between her success and her old neighborhood

4 Read the section "Bringing Pride To City Of God". What is MOST likely the reason the author included information about the government projects in the favelas? to emphasize that people in the favelas are usually ignored by the government to explain why a program like Morar Carioca is needed in the favelas to illustrate how many people in Rios' favelas are poor and black to show how the government is helping the people in the favelas

Answer Key 1 Which selection from the article BEST supports the article's central idea? Judo champion Rafaela Silva won Brazil's first gold medal of the Olympics. Judo is a Japanese sport in which two wrestlers try to pin each other to the ground. Silva's smiling face appeared on the front pages of newspapers on Tuesday morning. The entire country was tremendously proud. Brazilians were seeing a face from a part of the country that is often ignored or mistreated. As a child, she lived in a three-story yellow concrete house on Jesse Street. She was tough and rambunctious, and chose judo at the local community center over dance classes. On the day after Silva won her gold medal, her relatives gathered on the sidewalk outside the family home. Cousins, uncles and a grandmother in a wheelchair shared photographs of her and old newspaper clippings. 2 Which of the following is the BEST summary of the section "Judo Opens Doors For Silva"? Silva succeeded because she is talented and because her community supported her. Silva would still be in the City of God if her family had not supported her. Silva trained with the best judo teachers but still broke the rules at the London Olympics. Silva inspires people who live in the City of God by overcoming many challenges. 3 In the introduction (paragraphs 1-3) Rafaela Silva is introduced in what way? by showing how her childhood helped her be successful in the Olympics by showing how inspired people from around the country feel by her story by describing her childhood in great detail using emotional language by describing the emotional connection between her success and her old neighborhood