Australia's own Katharina Haecker (World Ranking 6) and Aoife Coughlan (World Ranking 10) headline the Senior Divisions of Judo Australia National Championships on the Gold Coast next weekend. June 9-12.23 Close to 1000 entries will see the biggest ever National Championships held at Carrara Sports Centre ranging in ages from 8-Veterans. The Championship serves as a key selection tournament for the Junior and Cadets Australian teams who will tour Europe and Asia at the back end of the year. Without a doubt some of these athletes will be on the same mat in the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games in the same venue in Green and Gold. In a rare event, all current athletes from the Senior Australian Judo Team will travel from the Combat Australia High-Performance Centre in Melbourne to compete off the back of a strong European campaign. Judo is currently enjoying a strong growth period with increased participation since the Tokyo Olympics a record 65% up to almost 30,000 across the Nation. The results of the competition have not been seen since Maria Pekli won an Olympic Bronze medal in Sydney 2000.
10 x Commonwealth Games medals (including 2 x gold) - our best-ever Commonwealth Games campaign.
4 x Grand Slam medals (plus numerous 5th places).
1 x Grand Prix gold medal.
5th place at the 2022 Masters.
2 x gold and 1 x silver and 3 x bronze medals at Continental Opens.
The Gold Coast will host Judo for the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Judo Australia and Major Events Gold Coast are proud to partner together for the next 3 years in preparation for the global judo event.
Building long-term sporting legacy for the Gold Coast is all about forging strong partnerships, so to see the Judo Australia National Championships back for 2023 is fantastic," said Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate. “I was thrilled to announce a three-year partnership with Judo Australia for the National Championships late last year, which is an important piece of our City’s event strategy as we work towards being the host venue for judo at the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Best of luck to this year’s competitors to take out a win this weekend!”
The competition begins Friday afternoon with the Traditional Kata Competition with Shiai commencing Saturday through Sunday. For more information or to request an interview with our team please contact Beck Hamilton - 0421 805 745.