July was a monumental month for Western Australian judo athletes, with competitors from UWA Judo Club and Perth Judo Club proudly representing Australia at major international events across Europe and Asia. From Junior European Cups in Prague and Paks to Asian Cups and Opens in Taipei, Hong Kong and Macau, our athletes gained valuable experience on the world stage and delivered some impressive performances along the way.

Prague Junior European Cup – Prague, Czechia (5–6 July)

The month began in Prague, Czechia, at the 2025 Prague Junior European Cup, where three UWA Judo Club athletes took to the mat in their respective divisions. In the Under 52kg category, Maelie Tournier faced Sara Shugayeva of Kazakhstan in the opening round of 32. It was a tightly contested match, but Maelie was ultimately defeated by waza-ari as the match went to time, ending her campaign early.

In the Under 66kg division, Timeo Tournier received a bye in the Round of 64 and made a strong start by defeating Petr Dvorak of Czechia by ippon in the Round of 32. However, his run was cut short in the Round of 16, where he was thrown for ippon by Jakub Bajtos of Slovakia.

Keishin Ochi, competing in the Under 81kg category, also received a bye in the Round of 64 before securing a waza-ari victory over Michael Proell of Austria. He continued his momentum with a yuko win against Martin Fictum of Czechia, earning him a place in the quarter-final. There, he was bested by Samariddin Muxibiddinov of Uzbekistan via ippon. Keishin then entered the repechage round and put up a strong fight, scoring two yukos, but was ultimately defeated by Saba Aleksanovi of Italy, who scored a decisive waza-ari. None of the WA athletes placed in Prague, but they gained valuable exposure at this high-level European event.

Paks Junior European Cup – Paks, Hungary (12–13 July)

The following weekend, Timeo and Maelie continued their European campaign at the Paks Junior European Cup in Hungary. Maelie once again competed in the Under 52kg division, facing Janka Juttner of Hungary in the Round of 32. Unfortunately, she was thrown for ippon, bringing her tournament to an early close.

Timeo also faced a tough field in the Under 66kg category. After receiving a bye in the Round of 64, he faced Tajko Maslac of Slovakia in the Round of 32. Despite scoring a yuko, Timeo was defeated by waza-ari as the match went to time. Neither athlete placed in Paks, but their continued participation on the European circuit strengthened their international experience.

Taipei Asian Open – Taipei City, Chinese Taipei (12–13 July)

While the European tour continued, a team of five WA athletes competed in the 2025 Taipei Asian Open in Chinese Taipei. Saya Middleton and Vas Middleton from Perth Judo Club, alongside Keishin Ochi, Kohsei Toyoshima, and Jordon Greenbank from UWA Judo Club, flew the Australian flag at this high-calibre senior event.

In the Under 70kg division, Saya Middleton received a first-round bye in the Round of 16 and advanced to the quarter-final where she defeated Sieun Bae of South Korea by ippon. In the semi-final, she faced another Korean athlete, Jiyoung Yang, and was narrowly defeated by waza-ari in golden score. Saya bounced back strongly in the bronze medal match, securing an ippon win over Dayeong Song of South Korea to claim a well-deserved bronze medal.

Her brother Vas delivered a stunning performance in the Under 66kg division. After a bye in the Round of 32, Vas defeated Sunghoon Moon of South Korea by waza-ari, then followed up with an ippon victory over Seungjae Lee of South Korea in the quarter-final. He progressed to the semi-final where he threw Bilegt Erdenetsogt of the United States for ippon and carried his form through to the final, where he once again won by ippon against Moonho Hong of South Korea to take the gold medal.

In the Under 81kg division, Keishin Ochi also showed strong form. He opened with an ippon win over Donghyun Song of South Korea, followed by another ippon victory against Dawoon Lee of South Korea in the quarter-final. In the semi-final, Keishin lost in golden score to Ratbek Zhumanazarov of Kyrgyzstan by yuko. In the bronze medal match, he was defeated by ippon by Heewon Park of South Korea, finishing in fifth place.

In the Under 73kg division, Jordon Greenbank began with a bye and went on to defeat Seongsu Park of South Korea by ippon in the Round of 16. He was then defeated by ippon against Harry Le Mare of Great Britain in the quarter-final. In repechage, Jordon secured a yuko victory over Jungchan Lee of South Korea, but was defeated by ippon by Heoncheol Kang of South Korea in the bronze medal match, finishing fifth overall.

Teammate Kohsei Toyoshima also competed in the Under 73kg division, receiving a bye before facing Jungchan Lee of South Korea in the Round of 16. Unfortunately, he was defeated by waza-ari and did not progress further.

Taipei Junior Asian Cup – Taipei City, Chinese Taipei (16 July)

Just days later, Vas and Kohsei returned to the mat for the Taipei Junior Asian Cup. Vas, again in the Under 66kg division, began with a bye before defeating You-En Chen of Chinese Taipei by ippon in the quarter-final and Ling-Hsiang Chao of Chinese Taipei by waza-ari in the semi-final. In the final, he outscored Jaemin Kim of South Korea by yuko to secure his second gold medal in as many events.

Kohsei Toyoshima, competing in the Under 73kg division, also delivered a strong showing. He began with an ippon win over Fardeen Fardeen of India. After losing by ippon in the semi-final to Minsung Jeon of South Korea, he rebounded in the bronze medal match, defeating Dohyeon Kim of South Korea by ippon to claim the bronze medal.

Hong Kong Cadet Asian Cup – Hong Kong, China (19 July)

Kaian Kelly from UWA Judo Club competed in the Under 60kg category. He made a strong start with an ippon win over Yuk Ngai Lam of Hong Kong in the Round of 32. In the Round of 16, Kaian faced Tegsh-Ochir Maramandakh of Mongolia and was narrowly defeated by yuko. He did not place.

Lena Wolak from Perth Judo Club also competed in the Under 44kg category. She faced Amin-Erdene Tsogbadrakh of Mongolia in her opening match and was unfortunately defeated. She then went on to face Layzenri Octa of Indonesia but was again defeated, and did not place at the event.

Hong Kong Junior Asian Cup – Hong Kong, China (20 July)

Kaian Kelly, Timeo Tournier, Maelie Tournier, Kohsei Toyoshima, and Oren Kelly were all scheduled to compete at the Hong Kong Junior Asian Cup. However, due to extreme weather conditions, the event was cancelled on the day of competition.

Macau Cadet Asian Cup – Macau, China (26 July)

Kaian Kelly continued his competition schedule in Macau, competing in the Under 60kg division. After receiving a bye in the Round of 32, he faced Ahmed Almehmadi of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the Round of 16. Despite scoring two yukos, Kaian was defeated by waza-ari as the match went to time and did not place.

Lena Wolak also competed in the Under 44kg division and began with a strong ippon win over Layzenri Octa of Indonesia in the opening round. In the quarter-final, she faced Amin-Erdene Tsogbadrakh of Mongolia and was unfortunately defeated by ippon. Entering the repechage, Lena fought hard against Nahella Nadzwa Sabilla of Indonesia but was narrowly defeated by waza-ari. She finished the event in a commendable fifth place.

Macau Junior Asian Cup – Macau, China (27 July)

On the final day of the month’s competitions, Kaian, Maelie, and Oren returned to the mat for the Macau Junior Asian Cup. Kaian faced Tegsh-Ochir Narmandakh of Mongolia in the Round of 32, where he was defeated by ippon and did not place. Oren Kelly, competing in the Under 57kg division, drew Gulkhan Shynggyskhan of Kazakhstan in the Round of 16. Despite a determined effort, she was defeated by ippon and did not progress further.

Maelie, however, finished her international campaign on a high. After receiving a bye in the Round of 16 in the Under 52kg division, she was defeated in the quarter-final by Bulgan Lkhagvajav of Mongolia via ippon. She then entered the repechage, defeating Yi Hui Li of Macau by ippon to earn a shot at bronze. In the bronze medal match, Maelie secured victory against Sum Yin Ho of Hong Kong to claim a well-earned bronze medal.

A Month of International Experience and Achievement

Across the month, WA athletes earned significant international experience and achieved several notable results:

• Gold Medals: Vas Middleton (2)
• Bronze Medals: Saya Middleton, Kohsei Toyoshima, Maelie Tournier
• 5th Place Finishes: Keishin Ochi, Jordon Greenbank, Lena Wolak

Congratulations to all athletes and their coaching teams for proudly representing Australia and Western Australia on the international stage. We look forward to seeing what the rest of 2025 brings for these talented judoka.