Bruno Almeida celebrates. Photo: Personal archive.
Yet another Zé Radiola student in Pernambuco has taken off in big-time competition. Bruno Alves has returned from a tour of Europe and, with him, he brings medals and a berth at the World Pro event.
“I went to Europe to compete at the World Pro qualifiers in Lisbon. I lost the final and ended up not getting a spot. I also took third in the absolute. After that I went to train with Bráulio Estima in England, then I returned to Portugal and competed at the Euro Open. I took second place, losing to Claudio Calasans at the very end of the match,” he recounts.
Despite the good results, Bruno’s goal is always to make it to the top of the podium, and the fighter wasn’t dissuaded.
“I won the Team Nationals as a heavyweight, but I still didn’t have my place in Abu Dhabi. I went to France to train with Christian Rodriguez and then to Hungary, where I trained with my friend Max Carvalho. From there I took off for Poland. I spent ten hours traveling by train, but it was worth it. I managed to get my place at the World Pro at the local qualifiers, I won. Now I’m returning to Recife to train for the Pan with Zé. I want to thank God and everyone who helped me on this trip,” he says in closing.
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