WA Judoka Claim Three Medals at Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games

Western Australia’s four judoka have completed an outstanding Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games campaign, securing two silver medals, one bronze medal and a fifth-place finish.

Commonwealth Games debutants Saya Middleton, Keishin Ochi and Maria Swan each reached the podium, while Vas Middleton fought through four contests to finish fifth in the men’s under-66kg division.

Together, the four Western Australians recorded nine victories from 14 contests and contributed three of the seven medals won by the Australian judo team. Every WA athlete finished among the top five in their respective division.

Western Australian results

The athletes’ home clubs are recorded in Judo Australia’s 2026 categorised-athlete listings, while the official IJF event report confirms their contest records and final placings.

Saya Middleton wins silver on Commonwealth Games debut

Saya Middleton produced an outstanding four-contest campaign in the women’s under-63kg division, progressing through a difficult draw to reach the Commonwealth Games final.

The Perth Judo Club athlete began against Scotland’s Sunny Doig. Middleton registered a waza-ari and a yuko during the four-minute contest, while Doig scored one yuko, giving the Western Australian a successful start to her campaign.

Middleton then faced Nigeria’s Enku Ekuta in the quarter-final. The contest remained extremely close through regulation time and entered golden score with both athletes carrying two penalties. Middleton secured the decisive ippon at 5 minutes and 7 seconds.

Her semi-final opponent was India’s Unnati Sharma. Sharma opened the scoring with a yuko, but Middleton responded decisively, registering two waza-ari to end the contest after 2 minutes and 46 seconds and advance to the gold-medal match.

In the final, Middleton met Canada’s Laurence Biron. Neither athlete registered a positive score during regulation time, sending the contest into golden score. Middleton was ultimately awarded a third shido after 5 minutes and 4 seconds, handing the title to Biron and confirming a Commonwealth Games silver medal for the Western Australian.

Following the final, Middleton acknowledged her disappointment at narrowly missing gold but said she was proud of the progress she had made and pleased to leave Glasgow with a medal.

Her brother Vas, who had competed the previous day, was among those supporting her from the stands. Saya reflected on their close relationship as siblings and long-time training partners and the significance of experiencing their first Commonwealth Games together.

Keishin Ochi secures bronze with decisive ippon

Keishin Ochi delivered a composed and technically strong performance in the men’s under-81kg division to claim bronze at his first Commonwealth Games.

After receiving an opening-round bye, the UWA Judo Club athlete faced Tanzania’s Andrew Thomas Mlugu in the quarter-final. Ochi controlled the contest and secured an ippon victory after 2 minutes and 35 seconds.

His semi-final opponent was Malaysia’s Amir Daniel Bin Abdul Majeed. In a closely contested four-minute fight, the Malaysian registered the only positive score—a single yuko—to advance to the final. Bin Abdul Majeed went on to become Malaysia’s first Commonwealth Games judo champion.

The result moved Ochi into the bronze-medal contest against India’s Harsh Tokas. Ochi remained patient against his fast and mobile opponent, working methodically until an opportunity emerged.

After just over three minutes, Ochi connected with osoto-gari, scoring ippon at 3 minutes and 17 seconds to secure the bronze medal. The IJF praised his technical commitment and disciplined approach throughout the competition.

Ochi’s bronze was Australia’s second judo medal within the space of approximately 25 minutes on the second day of competition. Commonwealth Games Australia highlighted the West Australian’s tactical patience as he circled Tokas and waited for the opening to launch his decisive attack.

Maria Swan produces breakthrough silver-medal performance

Maria Swan completed Western Australia’s campaign with a brilliant run to silver in the women’s under-78kg division.

The UWA Judo Club athlete received an opening-round bye before meeting Kenya’s Zeddy Cherotich in the quarter-final. Swan quickly established control and completed an ippon victory after just 1 minute and 38 seconds.

Her semi-final against Canada’s Coralie Godbout was a much tighter tactical contest. Swan registered the only waza-ari of the four-minute bout and successfully protected her advantage to book her place in the Commonwealth Games final.

The gold-medal contest placed Swan against defending champion and world medallist Emma Reid of England. Swan made an excellent start, throwing Reid for a yuko during the opening exchanges and taking an early lead.

Reid responded by pursuing opportunities in ne-waza. At the three-minute mark, the English judoka secured juji-gatame, forcing the submission and successfully defending the Commonwealth title.

The result was Swan’s first major international medal and an exceptional performance on Commonwealth Games debut.

Following the final, Swan said she was happy with how she had fought and believed the result demonstrated that her development was moving in the right direction. She also acknowledged the importance of having her parents travel from Perth to support her and expressed hope that the performance would inspire younger Australian judoka.

Vas Middleton battles to fifth in competitive U66kg division

Vas Middleton opened Western Australia’s Glasgow judo campaign in the men’s under-66kg division, competing in four contests and progressing to the bronze-medal match.

The Perth Judo Club athlete began against Nauru’s Daraidun Canon. Middleton controlled the full four-minute contest, registering three yukos while preventing Canon from scoring.

In the quarter-final, Middleton faced Nigeria’s Michael Agbo. The contest again went the full four minutes, with Agbo progressing after scoring two yukos.

The loss moved Middleton into the repechage, where he met Scotland’s Aiden Moffat. With the home crowd behind his opponent, Middleton remained composed through regulation time and into golden score, securing ippon after 5 minutes and 13 seconds.

Cyprus’s Petros Christodoulides stood between Middleton and the podium. The Cypriot registered a single yuko during the four-minute bronze-medal contest and successfully protected the advantage, leaving Middleton with a highly credible fifth-place finish.

The IJF described the bronze-medal contest as a narrow tactical battle, with only one yuko separating the athletes at the end of regulation time.

Middleton’s two victories and fifth-place finish represented a strong Commonwealth Games debut for the 20-year-old, who came within one contest of joining his fellow Western Australians on the podium.

A landmark campaign for Western Australian judo

The performances in Glasgow represent an outstanding result for Western Australian judo.

Saya Middleton and Maria Swan return home as Commonwealth Games silver medallists, while Keishin Ochi adds a Commonwealth bronze medal to his growing international record. Vas Middleton also demonstrated that he belongs at this level, progressing through to a bronze-medal contest and earning fifth place.

Across three days of competition, the four WA athletes contested two finals and two bronze-medal matches, with all four finishing among the top five.

Judo WA congratulates Saya, Maria, Keishin and Vas on representing their country, state and clubs with distinction.

We also recognise the coaches, families, training partners, officials and supporters whose work contributed to these outstanding results and congratulate Perth Judo Club and UWA Judo Club on their athletes’ performances.

The Glasgow results provide another significant milestone for Western Australia’s athlete pathway and an exciting foundation as these four athletes continue towards future international, Commonwealth and Olympic opportunities.