Western Australia’s Robert ‘Bobby’ Girdwood has claimed gold at the 2026 Ecole Mont-Olivet Adapted Judo Grand Slam in Lausanne, Switzerland.
The Kano Judo Schools athlete represented Australia in the Senior Level 1 under-90kg division on Friday, 28 August, winning both of his contests against British opposition to finish undefeated at the top of the podium.
The result represents a major international achievement for Bobby and follows his outstanding domestic season, during which he became Australian champion in both adapted and mainstream judo.
Historic international event in Lausanne
The Ecole Mont-Olivet Adapted Judo Grand Slam brought together 57 judoka from 13 countries across Level 1 and Level 2 divisions.
The competition was staged alongside an IJF World Judo Tour Grand Slam and the Deaf Judo Masters Top 18, marking the first time an adapted competition had been incorporated into an international event of this format.
Bobby was one of three Australian adapted judoka competing in Lausanne, alongside Lillee Wakefield and Liam Hudson.
His under-90kg division was contested as a three-athlete round robin against Great Britain’s Solomon Rice and Dominic Beesley.
Official JudoManager competition page.
Golden-score victory over Solomon Rice
Bobby began his campaign against Solomon Rice in the second round of the pool.
Rice opened the scoring with a waza-ari after 2:03, placing Bobby under pressure during the closely contested match.
Bobby responded just 39 seconds later, recording a waza-ari of his own at 2:42 to bring the scores level.
He appeared to move ahead with a yuko at 3:19, but the score was cancelled following review. With the athletes still level at the end of regulation time, the contest continued into golden score.
Bobby eventually secured an osaekomi, earning his second waza-ari and the victory by waza-ari-awasete-ippon after 4:23 of total contest time.
Rapid ippon secures the title
Bobby then faced Dominic Beesley in his second and final contest.
The WA athlete quickly took control on the ground, securing an osaekomi and holding his opponent for ippon after only 43 seconds.
The victory completed an undefeated competition and confirmed Bobby as the Senior Level 1 under-90kg champion.
Robert Girdwood’s results
| Round | Opponent | Nation | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Round 2 | Solomon Rice | Great Britain | Win by waza-ari-awasete-ippon in golden score at 4:23 |
| Round 3 | Dominic Beesley | Great Britain | Win by ippon—osaekomi at 0:43 |
Bobby completed the round robin with two victories from two contests to claim first place. His full fight record is available through the official JudoManager results page.
A landmark achievement for Bobby
The gold medal is the latest milestone in Bobby’s remarkable judo journey.
Earlier this year, he became Australian National Champion in both adapted and mainstream judo. He has also continued to challenge himself regularly in mainstream competition while training extensively to prepare for Europe’s highly developed adapted judo circuit.
Bobby’s international campaign was recognised before the event through a special European Judo Union feature, which explored the commitment of Bobby and his father, Grant, and the enormous amount of training, travel and support behind his success.
Beyond his achievements as an athlete, Bobby is a C Grade referee who regularly volunteers at events throughout Western Australia and remains a passionate advocate for adapted judo and inclusive sport.
Travelling almost 14,000 kilometres from Perth to Lausanne, Bobby delivered two outstanding performances to stand at the top of the podium at a historic international event.
Judo Western Australia congratulates Bobby, Grant and everyone at Kano Judo Schools who contributed to this wonderful achievement.
Congratulations, Bobby – Lausanne Adapted Judo Grand Slam champion!
