Western Australia’s Maria Swan, Saya Middleton and Keishin Ochi represented Australia at the Sarajevo European Open on 18 and 19 July 2026 as part of their final international preparation for the Commonwealth Games.
The three WA athletes tested themselves against a strong European field, with the tournament attracting 295 competitors from 35 countries and six continental unions.
Swan delivered an outstanding performance to win gold in the Senior Women’s −78kg division. Middleton competed in the 20-athlete Women’s −63kg category, while Ochi entered a deep Men’s −81kg draw featuring 45 competitors.
WA results
| Athlete | Division | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Maria Swan | Senior Women −78kg | Gold |
| Saya Middleton | Senior Women −63kg | Unplaced |
| Keishin Ochi | Senior Men −81kg | Unplaced |
The European Open formed an important part of the athletes’ preparations before representing Australia at the Commonwealth Games. Official Sarajevo European Open event page.
Maria Swan wins −78kg gold
Maria Swan produced an undefeated three-contest performance to win the Senior Women’s −78kg title.
With eight athletes entered in the category, Swan began her campaign in the quarterfinal against Russia’s Sofia Sviatskaia.
Swan controlled the contest and registered two scores to advance to the semifinal. Sviatskaia subsequently progressed through the repechage before finishing seventh.
Semifinal victory over Jovana Stjepanovic
Swan’s semifinal opponent was Serbia’s Jovana Stjepanovic, who had defeated Germany’s Lea Schmid in her opening contest.
The WA athlete recorded the contest’s only score to secure her place in the gold-medal match.
Stjepanovic recovered to win her next contest and claim one of the division’s bronze medals.
Golden-score triumph in the final
Swan faced Romania’s Maidelines Gorguet-Veranes in the final.
The Romanian had defeated Austria’s Marlene Hunger and Croatia’s Karla Kulic to win the opposite half of the draw.
The gold-medal contest proved to be the longest and most demanding of Swan’s day. Neither athlete was able to establish a decisive advantage during regulation time, sending the match into golden score.
After 7:25 of total contest time, Swan found the breakthrough and scored the deciding yuko to claim the gold medal.
The victory completed an unbeaten tournament for Swan and provided an ideal result during the final stages of her Commonwealth Games preparation.
Maria Swan’s contests
| Round | Opponent | Nation | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterfinal | Sofia Sviatskaia | Russia | Win |
| Semifinal | Jovana Stjepanovic | Serbia | Win |
| Final | Maidelines Gorguet-Veranes | Romania | Win by yuko in golden score |
The podium was completed by Gorguet-Veranes with silver and Stjepanovic and Germany’s Lea Schmid with bronze.
Saya Middleton competes at −63kg
Saya Middleton entered a strong Senior Women’s −63kg category featuring 20 athletes.
Middleton was drawn against Germany’s Natascha Lauber in the round of 16. Lauber secured the victory and progressed to face compatriot Shenna Nitsche for a place in the semifinal.
Nitsche defeated Lauber and went on to win one of the division’s bronze medals.
Lauber remained in medal contention through the repechage but was unable to progress to a bronze-medal contest, completing the tournament in seventh place.
Because Middleton was eliminated before the quarterfinal stage, she did not receive a repechage opportunity and finished unplaced.
Saya Middleton’s contest
| Round | Opponent | Nation | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Round of 16 | Natascha Lauber | Germany | Loss |
Opponent’s final placing: Natascha Lauber — seventh.
Romania’s Florentina Ivanescu won the −63kg title, defeating compatriot Amanda Zuaznabar-Torres in the final. Australian teammate Maeve Coughlan and Germany’s Shenna Nitsche claimed the bronze medals.
Keishin Ochi faces eventual −81kg silver medallist
Keishin Ochi entered the tournament’s largest division, with 45 athletes contesting the Senior Men’s −81kg category.
Ochi progressed into the round of 32, where he met Russia’s Akroman Parchiev.
Parchiev secured the victory and continued through the draw, eventually winning his pool and advancing into the medal rounds.
The Russian defeated a series of opponents on his way to the final, where he faced Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Mustafa Hebib. The gold-medal contest extended into golden score before Hebib prevailed, leaving Parchiev with the silver medal.
Ochi was therefore eliminated by the eventual runner-up in one of the tournament’s deepest categories.
As Ochi’s loss came before the quarterfinal stage, he was not brought into the repechage and finished unplaced.
Keishin Ochi’s contest
| Round | Opponent | Nation | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Round of 32 | Akroman Parchiev | Russia | Loss |
Opponent’s final placing: Akroman Parchiev — silver.
Building towards the Commonwealth Games
The Sarajevo European Open provided Swan, Middleton and Ochi with valuable high-level competition as they completed their preparations for the Commonwealth Games.
Swan’s gold-medal performance provided a major confidence boost, with the WA athlete overcoming opponents who ultimately occupied three of the division’s other top-seven positions.
Middleton gained another important contest against European opposition, while Ochi faced the eventual silver medallist in a demanding 45-player category.
The opportunity to compete in Europe against athletes with contrasting styles added another valuable element to the trio’s preparation before they joined the Australian team at the Commonwealth Games.
Congratulations to Maria, Saya and Keishin on representing Western Australia and Australia in Sarajevo, and to Maria on an outstanding gold-medal performance.
