8 athletes. 15 divisions. 3 gold medals. 1 bronze. Team SouthWest left their mark on the 2025 Judo Australia National Championships.
This year, SouthWest Judo Academy sent a small but determined team to the Gold Coast from 6–8 June to compete at the 2025 Australian National Championships. With just eight athletes representing our club across 15 divisions, each competitor brought with them courage, commitment, and a true fighting spirit.
Day 1 – Veterans Set the Tone
Day one featured our seasoned veterans (30+ years), and they certainly made their presence known.
Giulio Gerace – Gold Medalist, Veterans M1 / -73kg
Giulio competed in a round robin pool of three. In his opening contest, he secured an ippon victory over fellow WA teammate Andrew Tiet in just over a minute. He then followed this with another decisive performance, scoring two wazaris in under 30 seconds against Joshua Volkmann of Queensland. Giulio finished the day undefeated and atop the podium.
Krystal Thompson – Gold Medalist, Veterans F4 / -63kg
Krystal faced two strong competitors in her round robin pool. Against Mara Ballarini (QLD), both athletes scored early, but Krystal capitalised with a clean ippon finish. She followed this up with another victory against Victoria’s Maysa Abouzeid, coming back from a wazari down to claim the gold.
Cody Robinson – Double Entry, Strong Effort
Cody entered two categories:
- Veterans M1 / -66kg, where he faced Yong Voon Cheng (SA) in a best-of-three series but was defeated in both matches.
- Veterans M1 Kyu Grades / -66kg, where he once again battled hard against fellow West Aussie David Herson but was unable to secure a win.
Day 2 – Juniors, Cadets & Seniors in Action
Emileka Aiesi – Triple Division Entry
In the Cadet Women / -63kg, Emileka made it to the bronze medal match after a tough quarter-final against SA’s Kayla Simes. She narrowly missed the podium after a close match against fellow WA athlete Jolie Reutens.
In Junior Women / -63kg, she was eliminated in the Round of 16 by Queensland’s Cienna Leaver.
Later in the Senior Kyu Grades / -63kg, she fought hard against Hope Creef (QLD) and Kayla Simes (SA) but narrowly missed out on a medal once again.
Olivia Knights – Bronze Medalist, Senior Women / -57kg
Olivia competed in both Junior and Senior Women divisions.
In Junior Women / -57kg, she was drawn into a tough pool with NSW’s Mackenzie Cook and QLD’s Lily De Brincat and unfortunately did not place.
In the Senior Women / -57kg, Olivia stormed through the quarter-final with an ippon win over Mia Walker (QLD), but fell in the semi-final to Mackenzie Cook once more. In the bronze medal match, Olivia defeated Bella Nolan (QLD) with two wazari scores, bringing home the bronze.
Georgia Aiesi – Senior Women / -70kg
Georgia opened strongly against Taylah Hayes (TAS), both scoring wazari, but Georgia was unfortunately edged out and sustained an injury that ended her campaign early.
Giulio Gerace & Cody Robinson – Senior Men Campaigns
- Giulio competed in Senior Men / -73kg and was eliminated in the Round of 32 by Queensland’s Itamar Belfer.
- Cody, in Senior Men / -66kg, won his first match with a rapid ippon over SA’s Kevin Lo but was defeated in the Round of 16 by Queensland’s Sandor Batizi.
Jacob Read – Senior Men / -66kg, 5th Place Finish
Jacob opened with a strong ippon victory over Tasmania’s Ivory Sutton, followed by another ippon over SA’s Yong Voon Cheng. In the quarter-final, Jacob stunned NSW’s Jad Reda with a 10-second ippon.
He then faced Angus Hutcheon (NSW) in the semi-final and lost by submission. In the bronze medal match, Jacob fought Queensland’s Maxwell Zollinger but was again defeated via submission, placing 5th overall in a highly competitive division.
Day 3 – Kyu Grades & Young Guns Step In
Cody Robinson – Senior Kyu Grades / -66kg
After a bye, Cody faced Kevin Lo (SA) and was defeated by ippon. In the repechage, he met QLD’s Andrew Goyns, scoring both wazari and yuko, but was thrown for ippon in the final seconds.
Kayla Nae – Gold Medalist, Under 15 Girls / Over 63kg
Kayla was a standout on Day 3.
- Quarter-final: Defeated Emmalee McKenzie (QLD) by ippon in under 5 seconds.
- Semi-final: Another ippon win over Olive Stewart (QLD).
- Final: Faced NSW’s Sarah Bailey and again claimed victory by ippon, earning a well-deserved gold medal.
Additional Highlights
Refereeing Excellence – Marlee Mickle
While not competing, SouthWest’s Marlee Mickle once again took to the mats in her role as a referee at this year’s National Championships. Thank you, Marlee, for your service and representation at the highest level.
Post-Event National Camp
Judo Australia held a post-championships National Training Camp. Though most of our team returned home, Kayla Nae remained to attend the first day — a true reflection of her dedication to the sport.
Team SouthWest’s 2025 Nationals Medal Tally:
- 🥇 3 Gold – Giulio Gerace, Krystal Thompson, Kayla Nae
- 🥉 1 Bronze – Olivia Knights
Across a small team of 8 athletes in 15 divisions, we couldn’t be prouder of the results, resilience, and representation of our club.
Congratulations to all our athletes, coaches, officials, and supporters. You’ve done SouthWest proud!
