Judo Western Australia is proud to acknowledge four of our rising judoka who recently represented Australia at the 2025 Malaga Junior European Cup, held in Malaga, Spain, from 1-2 March.
Vas Middleton (Perth Judo Club) – Men’s Under 66kg
Vas Middleton faced a tough challenge in his opening match against Portugal’s Tomas Matos Da Fonseca. Despite his efforts, Vas was thrown for ippon, resulting in elimination in the Round of 64.
Timeo Tournier (UWA Judo Club) – Men’s Under 66kg
Competing in the same division as Vas, Timeo Tournier received a first-round bye before taking on France’s Dorian Arnaud in the Round of 32. The match went the full duration, but Timeo was ultimately defeated after conceding two yuko scores.
Keishin Ochi (UWA Judo Club) – Men’s Under 81kg
Keishin Ochi put in a solid performance in the men’s Under 81kg division. After a first-round bye, he faced Portugal’s Antonio Almeida and secured an ippon victory with osaekomi. Advancing to the quarter-finals, Keishin faced Estonia’s Saad Dikajev but was unfortunately thrown for ippon. Entering the repechage, he rebounded with another ippon win in osaekomi against Lithuania’s Norbertas Racka. Keishin then progressed to the final repechage round before the bronze medal match, where he faced France’s Kayss Leleu. Despite taking the fight to full time, Keishin was defeated by yuko score, finishing in a respectable 7th place overall.
Estela Hogarth (UWA Judo Club) – Women’s Under 63kg
Estela Hogarth began her campaign with a first-round bye before facing Naama Badash of Israel in the Round of 16. Despite an early waza-ari lead, Estela was thrown for waza-ari and subsequently held down in osaekomi for ippon, ending her run in the competition.
We commend all four judoka for their dedication and effort in representing Australia on the international stage. Their performances are a testament to their hard work and resilience, and we look forward to their continued progress in future competitions.
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