Source: Reuters

Jorge Fonseca was born in São Tomé and Príncipe in 1992 and went to Portugal when he was eleven years old. He went to live in a tough neighbourhood, in which he would play football although he recognised he was not that good. Pedro Soares, who would become Jorge’s coach, taught Judo in Damaia where Jorge lived. Curiosity brought Fonseca to the window, watching these classes.

As he enjoyed watching them, he asked his mother if he could try Judo. She allowed him, so he gladly went. Jorge was not in a very good physical shape, so he decided to invest in it to become a better judoka.

By the time Jorge was 17 years old, he had to face a very big challenge for someone of his age. He was a dad, hence his priorities would have to change. Nevertheless, Judo continued to be an important part of his life.

In 2013 Fonseca won the Under-23 National Championship and realised he could make a career out of the sport. Besides, in the same year, he was also European Champion of his age range, which made him the first Portuguese male athlete to achieve that title.

Despite his solid rise regarding Judo, Fonseca faced another big setback in his life in 2015. This time, he had cancer in his left leg. And the timing for it was just perfect: one year before the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

As it seems to happen quite often in people’s lives, surpassing his earlier big challenge helped Fonseca overcoming this health issue. Although he admittedly went for treatment in a bad mood, his son would go with him and make him laugh. In his words: “while in the treatment stage I felt terrible, but when I was with my son, he gave me strength.”

After a few years working hard to fight his disease and to become a better judoka, Jorge Fonseca won the World Championship for Under 100 kg in 2019. He felt so good, he even danced a bit while celebrating. According to him, it was both to connect with the spectators and to show Judo athletes are more than just a serious person.

It is not unreasonable to say that had he not gone through such struggles early on in his life, he probably would not come so far. His life path certainly made him a more resilient man which is essential to be a world champion in any discipline.

This was more than just a title since Fonseca became the first Portuguese athlete to achieve it. Furthermore, his exquisite celebration brought more attention to him. Hence, his story could impact more young Portuguese people and also people from São Tomé and Príncipe to create their own stories. This is important because, in Portugal, football reigns in attention and the other sports are easily forgotten in the media.

As to Fonseca’s future plans, he dreams of conquering the next Olympic Games – for which he just qualified. Besides, he wants to finish his studies in secondary school, which fell apart due to his difficult circumstances and then join the police.

Let us know if you have any suggestions for articles or feedback by contacting us.