International judo returned to Western Australia on Saturday, 2 May, as 73 senior athletes from 15 countries contested the opening day of the 2026 Mandurah Oceania Open at the Mandurah Aquatic and Recreation Centre.
Athletes from across all five continents took to the tatami, with Great Britain, Australia, Indonesia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malta, the United States of America, Hong Kong China, Georgia, Argentina, the Philippines, Tonga, Macau China, Solomon Islands and Samoa represented.
The international field produced competitive contests throughout the preliminary rounds and final block, with valuable world ranking points available and athletes testing themselves against opposition from across Oceania and beyond.
Great Britain Tops the Medal Table
Great Britain finished Day 1 at the top of the medal table after collecting four gold, one silver and two bronze medals.
Host nation Australia placed second with three gold, two silver and seven bronze medals, while Indonesia completed the top three with two gold, one silver and one bronze.
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Great Britain | 4 | 1 | 2 | 7 |
| 2 | Australia | 3 | 2 | 7 | 12 |
| 3 | Indonesia | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 4 | New Zealand | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 5 | Singapore | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 6 | Malta | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 6 | United States of America | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 8 | Hong Kong China | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 9 | Georgia | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 10 | Argentina | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 10 | Philippines | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 10 | Tonga | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 13 | Macau China | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 13 | Solomon Islands | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Ochi Claims Gold on Home Soil
A highlight for the local judo community came in the Senior Men’s under 81kg division, where Western Australia’s Keishin Ochi claimed gold for Australia.
Ochi’s victory continued a strong run of international results and gave the home crowd an opportunity to celebrate a Western Australian athlete on top of the podium at one of the state’s premier international judo events.
Australia’s other gold medals were won by Kohsei Toyoshima in the Senior Men’s under 73kg division and Anita Nourafshan in the Senior Women’s under 78kg division.
The international character of the competition was reflected in the spread of champions. Great Britain secured four titles through Aiden Moffat in the Men’s under 66kg division, Joshua Whitehouse in the Men’s over 100kg division, Millie Bayliss in the Women’s under 63kg division and Holly Devall in the Women’s under 70kg division.
Indonesia claimed two women’s titles through Febriany Dinny at under 57kg and Indah Permatasari at over 78kg. Gold medals were also won by James Zahra of Malta, Elliott Connolly of New Zealand, Adena Binte Muhammad Azzad of Singapore and Monica Reyes of the United States of America.
Day 1 Champions
| Division | Gold medallist | Nation |
| Senior Men −60kg | James Zahra | Malta |
| Senior Men −66kg | Aiden Moffat | Great Britain |
| Senior Men −73kg | Kohsei Toyoshima | Australia |
| Senior Men −81kg | Keishin Ochi | Australia |
| Senior Men −90kg | Elliott Connolly | New Zealand |
| Senior Men +100kg | Joshua Whitehouse | Great Britain |
| Senior Women −48kg | Adena Binte Muhammad Azzad | Singapore |
| Senior Women −52kg | Monica Reyes | United States of America |
| Senior Women −57kg | Febriany Dinny | Indonesia |
| Senior Women −63kg | Millie Bayliss | Great Britain |
| Senior Women −70kg | Holly Devall | Great Britain |
| Senior Women −78kg | Anita Nourafshan | Australia |
| Senior Women +78kg | Indah Permatasari | Indonesia |
The opening day provided an outstanding start to the 2026 Mandurah Oceania Open & Cup and again demonstrated Mandurah’s capacity to host high-quality international judo.
Judo WA sincerely acknowledges the City of Mandurah and Visit Mandurah for their support of the event and for helping showcase Mandurah to visiting athletes, officials and supporters. Judo WA also thanks Judo Australia, the Oceania Judo Union, the International Judo Federation, the Mandurah Aquatic and Recreation Centre team, and the volunteers and officials who made Day 1 possible.
The competition continues on Sunday, 3 May, with the Cadet and Junior Mandurah Oceania Cups.
