Western Australia’s Maria Swan, Keishin Ochi, Saya Middleton and Kohsei Toyoshima represented Australia at the 2026 Senior World Judo Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan, taking on international opposition at the sport’s premier annual competition.
The individual championships ran from 4–10 October and brought together 622 judoka from 93 countries. Swan and Ochi each recorded an opening victory before being eliminated in the round of 32, while Toyoshima faced an eventual bronze medallist and Middleton’s campaign ended in the opening round.
For the WA quartet, Baku followed a year featuring continental titles, international medals and Commonwealth Games success, providing another demanding test against the depth of senior world judo.
Maria Swan records ippon victory before Sarajevo rematch
Competing on Friday, 9 October, UWA Judo Club’s Maria Swan opened her women’s under-78kg campaign against Serbia’s Jovana Stjepanovic.
Swan secured victory by ippon after 3 minutes and 44 seconds, advancing to the round of 32. There, Romania’s Maidelines Gorguet-Veranes prevailed with a waza-ari and a yuko after four minutes, ending Swan’s tournament.
The draw produced a striking repeat of Swan’s July campaign at the Sarajevo European Open. On that occasion, she defeated Stjepanovic in the semifinal before overcoming Gorguet-Veranes with a deciding yuko in golden score to win gold. In Baku, Swan again defeated the Serbian, but the Romanian reversed their previous result.
Gorguet-Veranes subsequently reached the round of 16 before losing to Colombia’s Brenda Olaya. The world title went to Yelyzaveta Lytvynenko of the United Arab Emirates.
Swan entered Baku ranked 14th in the world following a season that included Oceania Championship gold, seventh at the Tbilisi Grand Slam, her Sarajevo title and Commonwealth Games silver in Glasgow. Her opening victory added a World Championships contest win to that campaign.
Keishin Ochi wins opener and faces eventual fifth-place finisher
UWA Judo Club’s Keishin Ochi contested the men’s under-81kg division on Wednesday, 7 October.
Ochi defeated Niger’s Abdoul Kader Boubacar Adamou in the round of 64, recording a waza-ari and two yuko during the four-minute contest. His second match ended in defeat to Kazakhstan’s Abylaikhan Zhubanazar, whose two yuko proved decisive.
Zhubanazar continued through the draw, defeating Azerbaijan’s Vusal Galandarzade and Korea’s Lee Joonhwan to reach the semifinals. He ultimately finished fifth, putting Ochi’s second-round opposition into perspective: the Kazakh progressed to within one victory of a world medal.
For Ochi, the championships followed Oceania Senior Championship gold, a successful defence of his Mandurah Oceania Open title and Commonwealth Games bronze. At 20, his Baku appearance provided another significant step in a growing senior international career.
Kohsei Toyoshima meets eventual world bronze medallist
Kohsei Toyoshima was the first WA athlete in action, competing in the men’s under-73kg division on Tuesday, 6 October.
The UWA Judo Club athlete received a first-round bye before meeting France’s Dayyan Boulemtafes in the round of 32. Boulemtafes recorded two waza-ari to secure victory and end Toyoshima’s campaign.
The Frenchman went on to defeat Russia’s Danil Lavrentev and Azerbaijan’s Rashid Mammadaliyev to reach the semifinals. After losing to eventual champion Ryuga Tanaka of Japan, Boulemtafes defeated Brazil’s Daniel Cargnin to claim bronze. Toyoshima therefore faced one of the division’s eventual podium finishers in his opening contest.
Baku marked a further stage in Toyoshima’s progression through world-level competition. His previous campaigns included seventh at the 2022 Cadet World Championships and appearances at the 2024 and 2025 Junior World Championships. He arrived at the Senior Worlds following gold medals at this year’s Oceania Senior Championships and Mandurah Oceania Open.
Saya Middleton contests women’s under-63kg division
Perth Judo Club’s Saya Middleton competed alongside Ochi on Wednesday, 7 October, facing Portugal’s Joana Crisostomo in the women’s under-63kg round of 64.
Crisostomo secured victory by ippon after 3 minutes and 40 seconds, with a waza-ari also recorded on her scoreboard.
The Portuguese athlete then defeated Belarus’s Yana Makretskaya to reach the round of 16, where her campaign ended against Japan’s Haruka Kaju, who went on to win the world title.
Middleton’s World Championships appearance followed a Commonwealth Games silver medal in Glasgow, where she won three contests to reach the final. Her recent international results also included gold at the Hong Kong Asian Open and Podgorica Senior European Cup, alongside bronze at the Oceania Senior Championships.
Representing WA on the world stage
None of the four WA athletes reached the quarterfinals, meaning their campaigns ended without a repechage opportunity. Swan and Ochi finished with one victory apiece, while Toyoshima and Middleton were defeated in their opening contests.
Their results illustrate the demands of World Championships competition, with Toyoshima eliminated by an eventual bronze medallist and Ochi by an eventual fifth-place finisher.
Judo WA congratulates Maria, Keishin, Saya and Kohsei on representing Australia in Baku and acknowledges the coaches, clubs, families and training partners supporting their international campaigns.
Their participation gives aspiring WA judoka a tangible connection to the world stage and demonstrates the opportunities available through sustained training, competition and progression through the sport’s pathways.
Full results and contest replays are available through the Baku World Championships event page on JudoTV.
