Western Australian judoka Maria Swan, Keishin Ochi and Saya Middleton represented Australia at the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam in the United Arab Emirates on 29–31 October 2026, with all three facing contests that went the full four minutes.
The event attracted 374 athletes from 59 countries across six continents, bringing together a strong international field for the latest stop on the IJF World Judo Tour.
Swan competed in the 24-athlete women’s under-78kg division, opening her campaign in the round of 16 against Lebanon’s Aqulina Chayeb.
Chayeb recorded a waza-ari and a yuko, while Swan was unable to register a score before the end of regulation time. The result ended Swan’s campaign without progression to the repechage. Chayeb subsequently reached the quarterfinals and finished seventh.
Ochi contested the men’s under-81kg category, which featured 33 athletes, meeting Georgia’s Kote Kapanadze in the round of 32.
Their contest also went the full four minutes, with Kapanadze scoring a waza-ari and a yuko to secure victory. Ochi finished unplaced, with no opportunity to return through the repechage.
Middleton joined a field of 22 athletes in the women’s under-63kg division and faced China’s Li Jun in the round of 32.
A single yuko proved decisive in their contest. Neither athlete registered a waza-ari or ippon, with Li’s yuko separating the pair at the end of four minutes. Middleton did not progress to the repechage and finished unplaced.
The event continued a busy month of international competition for the WA trio following their appearances at the Senior World Championships in Baku earlier in October. There, Swan and Ochi each recorded an opening victory before being eliminated in the round of 32, while Middleton’s campaign ended in the opening round.
Judo WA congratulates Maria, Keishin and Saya on representing Australia in Abu Dhabi and acknowledges the coaches, clubs, training partners and families whose ongoing support makes these international opportunities possible.
