Flávio Canto


Flávio Vianna de Ulhôa Canto is a Brazilian judoka who competed in Men's 81 kg Judo.
He won the bronze medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics.
He is founder and president of the Instituto Reação, and also presenter of the TV shows Corujão do Esporte on TV Globo and Sensei on SportTV.

Biography

Flavio Canto was born in Oxford, England, where his father had a doctorate in nuclear physics. At two years old he came to Brazil and started Judo at fourteen. Despite starting Judo at a relatively advanced age, he was still able to compete at the national level in only five years.
He married actress and presenter Fiorella Mattheis in 2013, divorcing in 2014.

Judo career

Flávio Canto was selected in national team for the first time in 1995 when he won the bronze medal at the Pan American Games in Mar del Plata.
In 1996 he got the 7th place at the Olympics in Atlanta and in 1999 was silver medalist in the Pan American Games in Winnipeg.
He missed Sydney Olympic games qualification in 2000. He was Panam Games champion in 2003 in Santo Domingo. In 2004, in Athens, he eventually got the bronze olympic medal.
World Ranking Leader U81kg in 2010 he retired from competition in 2012.

Instituto Reação social project

In 2003 Flávio Canto created Instituto Reação, a non-governmental organization that promotes human development and social inclusion through sports and education, promoting judo from the sport initiation to a level of high performance. Instituto Reação works in low-income communities in Rio de Janeiro including Rocinha, Pequena Cruzada, Cidade de Deus and Tubiacanga.
The Institute serves about 1,000 children and young people between 4 and 25 years old and has played a prominent role in competitions, including having helped train the current Olympic and world junior judo champion, Rafaela Silva Lopes.