Diogo Silva (taekwondo)
Silva in 2007 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | 7 March 1982 São Sebastião, São Paulo, Brazil | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Diogo André Silvestre da Silva (born March 7, 1982) is a Brazilian taekwondo athlete. He finished in the fourth place in the men's 68-kilogram category in taekwondo at the 2004 Summer Olympics on August 27. At the 2012 Summer Olympics he finished in 5th in the same weight class. Silva failed to qualify for the 2008 Summer Olympics.
Silva was raised in Londrina, Paraná, and entered sports following a suggestion of his mother, who wanted him to enter an academy to stop fighting in the street. She wanted Silva to take up judo, but he entered taekwondo because he wanted to fight "like the actors in fighting movies". He cited as influences Jet Li and Jackie Chan, the latter being star of his favorite movies, Rumble in the Bronx and Rush Hour. Diogo stood out for Fighting the lack of incentive and the taekwondo For the Black Movement | black cause.
Silva frequently protests against the lack of support for his sport. He has alleged that he receives only $600 reais "which come late, only between three and three months" from the taekwondo confederation, and having to spend R$5000 of his own money to train and compete in Europe. He is also an accomplished tree climber, surfer, parachutist and bunjee-jumper.