Judo athletes across Australia are recognised through the National Categorisation Framework, developed by the Combat Institute of Australia (CombatAUS) in partnership with the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) and Judo Australia. Categorisation helps identify athletes with Olympic and World Championship podium potential and aligns them with the support needed at each stage of their development.

CombatAUS has now confirmed judo athlete categorisations for 2026, across the following levels (from entry to top tier): Emerging, Developing, Podium Potential, Podium Ready, and Podium.

Judo Western Australia is proud to acknowledge that six Western Australian athletes have been recognised for 2026 – 35% of the 17 categorised judo athletes nationally. This is a significant outcome for our state and reflects the sustained commitment athletes, coaches, and clubs have made to high-performance development over a number of years.

WA athletes categorised for 2026

Congratulations to Keishin, Saya, Timeo, Vas, Jordon, and Maria on their 2026 categorisations. This recognition is a testament to the hard work and discipline they have shown over the last several years, and to the training environments that continue to lift standards across Western Australia.