{{short description|Brazilian taekwondo practitioner}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2024}} {{Infobox sportsperson | name = Maria Clara Pacheco | image = File: Captura de Tela 2024-06-26 à(s) 11.10.24 (53879043055) (cropped).jpg | imagesize = 250px | caption = Maria Clara Pacheco at the 2024 Canadian Open | headercolor = lightblue | birth_name = Maria Clara Pacheco Lima | nickname = | nationality = [[Brazil]]ian | birth_date = {{birth date and age|2003|7|16|df=y}}<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.taekwondodata.com/maria-clara-pacheco.aspu.html|website=Taekwondo data|title=Maria Clara Pacheco|accessdate=9 April 2024}}</ref> | birth_place = [[São Vicente, São Paulo]], [[Brazil]]<ref name="Taekwondo">{{cite web|url=https://ge.globo.com/sp/santos-e-regiao/corpo-em-acao/noticia/maria-clara-pacheco-se-destaca-no-taekwondo-e-sonha-com-jogos-olimpicos-de-2024.ghtml|title=Maria Clara Pacheco se destaca no taekwondo e sonha com Jogos Olímpicos de 2024|website=Globo Esporte|date=2019-07-20|access-date=2024-11-16|language=pt-br}}</ref> | death_date = | death_place = | height = | weight = | website = | country = | sport = [[Taekwondo]] | weight_class = Featherweight | medaltemplates = {{MedalSport |Women's [[taekwondo]]}} {{MedalCountry | {{BRA}} }} {{MedalCompetition|[[World Taekwondo Championships|World Championships]]}} {{MedalGold|[[2025 World Taekwondo Championships|2025 Wuxi]]|[[2025 World Taekwondo Championships – Women's featherweight|–57 kg]]}} {{MedalBronze|[[2023 World Taekwondo Championships|2023 Baku]]|[[2023 World Taekwondo Championships – Women's featherweight|–57 kg]]}} {{MedalCompetition|[[Pan American Games]]}} {{MedalSilver|[[2023 Pan American Games|2023 Santiago]]|[[Taekwondo at the 2023 Pan American Games – Women's 57 kg|–57 kg]]}} {{MedalBronze|2023 Santiago|[[Taekwondo at the 2023 Pan American Games|Team]]}} {{MedalCompetition|[[Taekwondo at the Summer World University Games|World University Games]]}} {{MedalGold|[[Taekwondo at the 2025 Summer World University Games|2025 Rhine-Ruhr]]|–57 kg}} }}
'''Maria Clara Pacheco''' (born 16 July 2003) is a Brazilian taekwondo practitioner. She was a gold medalist at the [[2025 World Taekwondo Championships – Women's featherweight |2025 World Taekwondo Championships]].
==Early life== She was born in [[São Vicente, São Paulo|São Vicente]],<ref name="Taekwondo"/> in [[São Paulo]], but moved to [[São Caetano do Sul]] in 2021.<ref name="olimp">{{cite web|first=Gabriel|last=Gentile|date=16 June 2023|url=https://olimpiadatododia.com.br/taekwondo/516140-maria-clara-pacheco-avalia-campanha-no-mundial-de-taekwondo/|title= Maria Clara Pacheco evaluates campaign at the Taekwondo World Cup|accessdate=9 April 2024|website=olimpiadatododia}}</ref>
==Career== She won a bronze medal at the World Taekwondo Cadet Championships in [[Sharm-el-Sheikh]] in 2017.<ref name="olimp"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1054559/mansour-wins-home-egyptian-gold-at-world-taekwondo-cadet-championships|website=Inside the Games|accessdate=9 April 2024|title= Mansour wins home Egyptian gold at World Taekwondo Cadet Championships|first=Dan|last=Palmer|date=25 August 2017}}</ref>
2023 was her first season competing in senior taekwondo. She made her Grand Priz series debut that year in [[Paris]] where she reached the quarterfinals.<ref>{{cite web|first=Wesley|last=Felix|url=https://olimpiadatododia.com.br/taekwondo/536300-maria-clara-pacheco-quartas-grand-prix-paris/|website=olimpiadatododia|title= Maria Clara Pacheco falls into the quarterfinals in her first Grand Prix|date=2 September 2023|accessdate=9 April 2024}}</ref>
She won the bronze medal in the [[2023 World Taekwondo Championships – Women's featherweight|Women's featherweight]] at the [[2023 World Taekwondo Championships]] in [[Baku]], losing to eventual winner [[Luana Márton]] in the semi-final.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ge.globo.com/taekwondo/noticia/2023/05/29/mundial-de-taekwondo-maria-clara-pacheco-e-bronze-e-brasil-leva-1a-medalha.ghtml|website=Globo|accessdate=9 April 2024|title= Taekwondo World Cup: Maria Clara Pacheco is bronze, and Brazil takes 1st medal |date=29 May 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.vejaariquemes.com.br/noticia/52980_maria-clara-pacheco-e-bronze-no-mundial-de-taekwondo|title= Maria Clara Pacheco é bronze no Mundial de Taekwondo|date=30 May 2023|accessdate=9 April 2024|website=Vejaariquemes}}</ref> In doing so, she became only Brazilian to have won medals in Taekwondo World Championships in both the senior and cadet levels.<ref name="olimp"/>
In October 2023, she was a silver medalist at the [[Taekwondo at the 2023 Pan American Games – Women's 57 kg|2023 Pan American Games]].<ref>{{cite web|website=Globo|url=https://ge.globo.com/jogos-pan-americanos/noticia/2023/10/22/lucas-ostapiv-abre-o-segundo-dia-de-taekwondo-com-mais-um-bronze-para-o-brasil.ghtml|title= Pan 2023: Maria Clara Pacheco wins silver, and Lucas Ostapiv is bronze in taekwondo |date=22 October 2023|accessdate=9 April 2024}}</ref> She also won a bronze in the [[Taekwondo at the 2023 Pan American Games – Women's Kyorugi team|team event]] at the games.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://agenciabrasil.ebc.com.br/en/esportes/noticia/2023-10/brazil-rebeca-andrade-triumphs-pan-american-games-table-jumping|website=Agencia Brasil|accessdate=9 April 2024|title= Brazil: Rebeca Andrade triumphs at Pan American Games in table jumping|date=25 October 2023}}</ref> [[File:3º Sargento Maria Clara Pacheco (cropped).jpg | thumb | right | Pacheco at the 2023 Pan American Games ]] In April 2024, competing at the regional Olympic qualifying event in [[Dominican Republic]], she won a place at the [[2024 Olympic Games]] in [[Paris]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ge.globo.com/olimpiadas/noticia/2024/04/10/maria-clara-pacheco-garante-vaga-nas-olimpiadas-de-paris-no-taekwondo.ghtml|date=10 April 2024|accessdate=20 April 2024|title= Maria Clara Pacheco guarantees place in the Paris Olympics in taekwondo|website=Globo.com}}</ref>
In June 2025, Pacheco won the Gold medal at the 2025 [[Charlotte Taekwondo Grand Prix]] and claimed her first podium finish at the event. She competed in the women’s 57kg category and defeated [[Luo Zongshi]] of [[China]] in the final with a score of 2–0, without conceding a single point (17–0 and 12–0).<ref name="OlympicsPachecoCharlotte2025"> {{cite web |title=Maria Clara Pacheco campeã no Grand Prix de Taekwondo em Charlotte 2025 |url=https://www.olympics.com/pt/noticias/maria-clara-pacheco-campea-grand-prix-taekwondo-charlotte-2025 |website=Olympics.com |publisher=International Olympic Committee |date=14 June 2025 |language=pt |access-date=17 June 2025 }} </ref>
Pacheco won the gold medal in the -57kg category at the [[Taekwondo at the 2025 Summer World University Games|2025 World University Games]] in Germany, recording a 2-0 victory over [[Chaima Toumi]] of Tunisia in the final.<ref>{{cite web|website=Inside the Games|url= https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1154307/rhine-ruhr-2025-taekwondo-kyorugi |accessdate=28 October 2025|title= FWUG: Korea and China lead in kyorugi|first= Rafael |last=Khalatyan|date=21 July 2025}}</ref> In October, she won the gold medal at the [[2025 World Taekwondo Championships]] in China, where she defeated reigning Olympic champion [[Kim Yu-jin (taekwondo, born 2000)|Kim Yu-jin]] of Korea 2-0 in the final.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.olympics.com/en/news/2025-world-taekwondo-championships-kim-yu-jin-maria-pacheco-kang-sanghyun|website=Olympics.com|accessdate=25 October 2025|title= 2025 World Taekwondo Championships: Olympic champion Kim Yu-jin falls as Maria Pacheco and Kang Sanghyun claim titles|first=Evelyn|last=Watta|date=24 October 2025}}</ref>
In 2025 Pacheco won both the trophies for best Brazilian taekwondo athlete of the year and for Brazilian female athlete of the year at that year's edition of the ''[[Prêmio Brasil Olímpico]]'' ( ''Brazil Olympic Prize'').<ref>{{cite web |date=11 December 2025 |title=Prêmio Brasil Olímpico 2025: Caio Bonfim e Maria Clara Pacheco são eleitos os melhores atletas do ano |url=https://www.olympics.com/pt/noticias/premio-brasil-olimpico-2025-caio-bonfim-maria-clara-atletas-ano |access-date=11 December 2025 |website=Olympics.com |publisher=International Olympic Committee |language=pt}}</ref>
==Awards and Honors== ;2025 * [[Prêmio Brasil Olímpico]] - ''taekwondo'' * [[Prêmio Brasil Olímpico]] - ''Brazilian female athlete of the year'' == References == {{reflist}}
== External links == * [https://worldtkd.simplycompete.com/playerProfileV2?countryId=null&searchQuery=Maria%20Clara%20Pacheco&month=11&year=2025&subCategory1=11ef3918-30a6-2db9-8999-023374a4dcc1&rankingTypeId=11ef3916-58d3-484e-8999-023374a4dcc1&userId=11e77160-dbce-2a3a-8631-06cdf659f144 Maria Clara Pacheco profile] in [[World Taekwondo]]
{{World Champions Taekwondo Women's Featherweight}} {{Footer Prêmio Brasil Olímpico}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pacheco, Maria Clara}} [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:2003 births]] [[Category:Sportspeople from São Vicente, São Paulo]] [[Category:Brazilian female taekwondo practitioners]] [[Category:Taekwondo practitioners at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics]] [[Category:Taekwondo practitioners at the 2023 Pan American Games]] [[Category:21st-century Brazilian sportswomen]] [[Category:World Taekwondo Championships medalists]] [[Category:Pan American Games bronze medalists for Brazil]] [[Category:Pan American Games bronze medalists in taekwondo]] [[Category:Taekwondo practitioners at the 2024 Summer Olympics]] [[Category:Medalists at the 2023 Pan American Games]] [[Category:FISU World University Games gold medalists for Brazil]] [[Category:Medalists at the 2025 Summer Universiade]] [[Category:Summer World University Games medalists in taekwondo]]