CHARLOTTE, USA (Jun 14, 2025) - At just 21 years old, Brazil’s Maria Clara Pacheco is in many ways at the beginning of her career, but while she has the exuberance of youth, she already boasts impressive experience that she hopes will set her up for future glories.
In her debut senior season she won bronze at the Baku 2023 World Taekwondo Championships. Last night, she won gold in the Charlotte 2025 World Taekwondo Grand Prix Challenge – her first gold in what she describes as the ‘big events’.
“I won [at Baku 2023] so young. Now I am a little bit more experienced, I have fought at the Olympic Games. So I have more experience. I'm so happy that I'm getting better every day and I think that it's a good point to see that I was losing, losing and now I'm getting better.”
A clear sign of this improvement was that her gold medal victory last night was against Zongshi Luo, who beat Pacheco in the quarterfinal at Paris 2024. Here in Charlotte, Pacheco put on a convincing display not conceding a single point, 17-0, 12-0.
“I think that yesterday I was more trusting in myself because I fought with her [Luo] in Paris and in the Grand Slam Challenge where I beat her. I knew in the final I already had got the quota for the Grand Prix so the pressure was off. I was just was thinking I need to make as many points as possible so I can to be safe and more confident. So gave all of me to make a lot of points and stay calm and keep the fight more calm.”
In the semi final it hadn’t been quite so calm. Up against home favourite Faith Dillon, Pacheco looked set to win in two rounds, only for the American to come back and take it to a third round.
“I was very nervous in the semifinal,” Pacheco admits. “I won the first round, so I was confident, but when I lost the second fight, I just thought that if I lose now, I will have to fight again to win the bronze medal, so I don't want that. I said to myself I want to have one more fight but for the gold.”
Pacheco’s gold medal in Charlotte is the latest in a gold rush year for the Brazilian who has won the national championships, a university title and the Rio Open so far. It has clearly given her a taste for gold.
“I have won four gold medals and I want to keep it,” she says laughing. “I want all the medals. I want a gold Olympic medal, like all athletes. But I also want a gold medal in the World Championship and I want a gold medal in Grand Prix series that I don't have. This is my first one, but it's a challenger. I want to win a Grand Prix series in the next year and a gold medal in the Pan American games.”
“I think that I can do it. Now I have the confidence that if I do everything right and with God by my side and my family, I can do it again.”
The ultimate aspiration is of course gold at the Olympic Games in LA28, and there she’s hoping she can follow in the footsteps of her idol, double Olympic champion Jade Jones. The pair met in Baku and Pacheco admits at first she was star struck.
“I was a big fan and in the World Championship in Baku, I was in the waiting line and I saw her and I thought, oh, it's Jade Jones! I want to take a picture with her. But in my head said, no, you don't do this because you will fight with her and you have to win.”
She did not win that day. But two years on her youthful enthusiasm remains but it is now combined with steely experience. A combination she will hope will put her on track to win it all just as she dreams of.
