Rui Braganca

Rui Bragança has achieved success as an Olympic taekwondo practitioner and is a qualified medical doctor, showcasing dedication in both sports and academic fields. After winning the Portuguese National Junior Championships in 2007, Rui Bragança went on to secure a bronze medal at the European Junior Championships in Baku that same year. Demonstrating a rapid ascent in the sport, Bragança also achieved academic excellence, graduating in Medicine from the University of Minho. In 2011, his international presence solidified with a silver medal at the World Championships in Gyeongju and a bronze at the Spanish Open in Alicante.

That year also saw him clinch gold medals at the Trelleborg Open, Dutch Open, and Serbia Open, establishing him as a formidable competitor on the world stage. Bragança continued his dominant performance, reaching the top spot in the world rankings for his weight category in 2014, a year he also earned a gold medal at the European Championships in Baku. His consistent success continued in 2015 with a gold medal at the European Games in Baku and another gold at the Grand Prix in Samsun. In 2016, he secured a further gold medal at the European Championships in Montreux, solidifying his status as a three-time European Champion.

Rui Bragança successfully qualified for the 2020 Summer Olympics through the 2021 European Taekwondo Olympic Qualification Tournament and subsequently competed in his second Olympic Games in Tokyo. A two-time Olympian, Bragança has consistently performed at the highest level, accumulating an impressive collection of medals including three European Championship titles, two World Championship medals (silver in 2011, bronze in 2019), and reaching the world number one ranking in his weight category. His career highlights reflect a sustained period of excellence and dedication to his sport.