By Sarah Dyce
Australia’s judo team leaves Glasgow with seven medals and a campaign defined by resilience, tactical battles and a new generation of judoka making their mark on the Commonwealth stage.
Across three days at the SEC Centre, 11 Australian athletes stepped onto the tatami, with the team collecting five silver and two bronze medals across a competition where the finest margins often separated the podium from heartbreak.
Josh Katz set the tone early, returning to the Commonwealth Games four years after claiming bronze in Birmingham. The 28-year-old went one better in Glasgow, fighting through to the men’s -60kg final and securing silver.
Katz’s campaign carried an added layer, with his brother Nathan in his corner as coach. The pair had shared the podium in Birmingham, with Nathan claiming bronze alongside his brother, before returning to Glasgow in a different role.
Pedro Antun Neto joined Katz on the podium in the -60kg division, securing bronze after producing an ippon against Botswana’s Tumiso Phuthego in the bronze-medal contest. The result marked Australia’s first judo medal of the Games.
There were also near misses on the opening day, with defending Birmingham 2022 champion Tinka Easton finishing fifth in the women’s -52kg after a narrow loss in her bronze-medal contest.
Vas Middleton also finished fifth in the men’s -66kg, while Maeve Coughlan recorded a fifth-place finish in the women’s -63kg.
The second day brought another three medals and showcased the depth of Australia’s women’s team.
Saya Middleton made an immediate impact on her Commonwealth Games debut, fighting her way into the women’s -63kg final. The Australian pushed Canada’s Laurence Biron into golden score before ultimately settling for silver after being penalised.
The result was particularly significant with her brother Vas watching from the stands, just a day after making his own Commonwealth Games debut.
Aoife Coughlan, the defending Birmingham champion, produced another composed campaign in the women’s -70kg division to reach the final. After an exhaustive 8:17 contest against England’s Kelly Petersen-Pollard, Coughlan claimed silver to add another Commonwealth Games medal to her collection.
Keishin Ochi completed the day’s medal haul with bronze in the men’s -81kg. The West Australian demonstrated patience and tactical precision in his bronze-medal contest against India’s Harsh Tokas, circling before finding the opening for an ippon victory in just over three minutes.
Danny Vojnikovich also pushed deep into the competition in the men’s -90kg, reaching the bronze-medal contest before finishing fifth after a golden-score battle with Scotland’s Scott Cusack.
The final day delivered a fitting finish, with Australia adding two more silver medals to the tally.
Maria Swan announced herself on the international stage in the women’s -78kg, producing a standout Commonwealth Games debut to reach the final.
The world number 14 showed attacking intent from the outset, catching reigning champion Emma Reid with an early yuko before navigating a bruising quarter-final and tight semi-final to earn her place in the gold-medal contest.
Reid ultimately defended her Birmingham 2022 title with an ippon victory, but Swan’s silver represented her first major international medal and one of the standout debut performances of Australia’s Glasgow campaign.
Kayhan Ozcicek-Takagi then brought the competition to a close for Australia, securing silver in the men’s +100kg.
The Birmingham 2022 competitor battled Cyprus’ Giannis Antoniou in a tightly contested final before narrowly missing out on gold, adding another podium finish to Australia’s final-day tally.
From returning Birmingham competitors to Commonwealth Games debutants, the Australian judo team produced a campaign rich in both experience and emerging talent.
Katz, Coughlan, Middleton, Ochi, Swan and Ozcicek-Takagi all stood on the podium, while Antun Neto added bronze and Easton, Maeve Coughlan, Vas Middleton and Vojnikovich battled through to fifth-place finishes.
Seven medals from 11 athletes.
Five silver. Two bronze.
Wrapping a strong showing on the Glasgow tatami that points to an exciting future for Australian judo.
