Judo

Australian Team Profile

Australia has competed in every Olympic Judo competition since the sport's inception at the 1964 Games in Tokyo. This year, 13 athletes will be out to try and add to Australia's small medal tally of just two bronze medals.

A young and inexperienced men's team will be headed by two-time Olympian Daniel Kelly. The middleweight fighter finished ninth in 2000 and seventh in 2004. Heavyweight fighter Semir Pepic will also be contesting his third Olympics, having competed for Slovak Republic in 1996 and Australia in 2004.

The five remaining men will all be making their first Olympic Games debut.

Maria Pekli headlines the women's team; the bronze medallist will be making her fifth Olympic Games appearance. In 1992 and 1996 she represented her native country, Hungary, before switching to Australia for the 2000 Games, where she won the bronze medal.

Catherine Arlove has made her third Olympics team and will be hoping to improve on the fifth place she achieved in Athens in 2004.

The 14 judo events at the Beijing Games will be staged at University of Science and Technology Beijing Gymnasium, beginning on the 9th of August and will be all completed six days later.

Australia has rarely featured in the medals for Judo, with only two bronze medals achieved; Pekli in 2000 and Ted Boronovskis in 1964.

Previous Medallists:
Bronze:
Maria Pekli lightweight 2000

Australian Olympic Judo Team:
Men:
Mark Anthony - half-middleweight (73 - 81kg)
Steven Brown - half-lightweight (60 - 66kg)
Matt Celotti - half-heavyweight (90 - 100kg)
Matthew D'Aquino - extra-lightweight (- 60kg)
Dennis Iverson - lightweight (66 - 73kg)
Daniel Kelly - middleweight (81 - 90kg)
Semir Pepic - heavyweight (+ 100kg)

Women:
Catherine Arlove - half-middleweight (57 - 63kg)
Tiffany Day - extra-lightweight (- 48kg)
Stephanie Grant - half-heavyweight (70 - 78kg)
Maria Pekli - lightweight (52 - 57kg)
Kristie-Anne Ryder - half-lightweight (48 - 52kg)
Janelle Shepherd - heavyweight (+ 78kg)