The 2025 Hong Kong Asian Open took place from 22–23 November in Hong Kong, bringing together rising judoka from across Asia and beyond. Five Western Australian athletes proudly represented Australia, showcasing skill, determination, and strong competitive spirit on the international stage.
-63kg: Saya Middleton Claims Gold in Spectacular Fashion
Saya Middleton (-63kg, Perth Judo Club) opened her campaign in the quarter-final against Sweden’s Gretha Østlind, securing a confident ippon victory via shime-waza.
In the semi-final, she faced South Korea’s Yeji Kim in a tightly contested bout, with both fighters trading scores. Inside the final 30 seconds, Saya produced a decisive throwing attack to score ippon and book her place in the final.
In an all-Australian gold-medal match, Saya met Maeve Coughlan. After conceding an early yuko, she remained composed and capitalised in the final minute, locking in a strangle to submit her opponent and claim a well-deserved gold medal.
-66kg: Vas Middleton Captures Gold With Dynamic Judo
Vas Middleton (-66kg, Perth Judo Club) opened strongly in his quarter-final against Hong Kong’s Wing Yat Yeung, scoring yuko before swiftly transitioning into an armbar to secure ippon within 30 seconds.
His semi-final matchup against South Korea’s Minjae Doo extended into golden score, where Vas executed a clean throwing attack to score yuko and progress to the final.
There he met South Korea’s Taeyeop Kim. Vas took control late in the contest, scoring a yuko with just over a minute and a half remaining and then managing the clock expertly to secure gold for Australia.
-73kg: Jordon Greenbank Battles to Fifth Place
In the -73kg division, Jordon Greenbank (UWA Judo Club) started his campaign in the Round of 16 against Hong Kong’s Chun Yu Wu, throwing for yuko within 30 seconds before securing ippon inside the first minute.
He continued his strong form in the quarter-final, defeating fellow Australian Eric Amani with an early yuko followed by an armbar submission in ne-waza for ippon.
In the semi-final, Jordon faced South Korea’s Yongmin Kim, but was defeated and moved into the bronze-medal match. There, he met Great Britain’s Cameron Charles, but was again thrown for ippon.
Jordon concluded the competition with a commendable 5th-place finish.
-81kg: Keishin Ochi Takes Silver After Strong Run
Competing in the -81kg division, Keishin Ochi (UWA Judo Club) opened in the quarter-final against South Korea’s Sanggyu Kim. With composed tactical control, Keishin secured the win in regular time, scoring both waza-ari and yuko to advance.
In the semi-final, he faced Argentina’s Ivan Ferreyra. After each athlete scored a yuko, Keishin broke the deadlock with a late waza-ari, transitioning directly into osaekomi to secure the ippon.
The final saw him meet South Korea’s Jun Hyun Park. In a gripping contest that extended nearly two minutes into golden score, Keishin was eventually thrown for ippon, earning a well-fought silver medal.
-90kg: Angus Baird Gains Valuable International Experience
Angus Baird (UWA Judo Club) opened his day against the USA’s Issei Barefoot in the quarter-final but was unfortunately thrown for ippon.
Entering the repechage, he faced India’s Sheetal Singh Ningthoujam, where an early ippon score ended his run. Despite the results, Angus gained valuable experience competing against world-class opponents and continues to build towards future international events.
Results & Replays
Full results and match replays are available on JudoTV. View the competition overview here: 2025 Hong Kong Asian Open on JudoTV .
A huge congratulations to Saya Middleton, Keishin Ochi, Vas Middleton, Jordon Greenbank, and Angus Baird for representing Australia and Western Australia with pride at the 2025 Hong Kong Asian Open. Their performances mark significant steps forward in their judo careers and reflect the strength and depth of Western Australian judo.