Joshua Katz

At 18 years and 220 days (at the time of the Rio 2016 Opening Ceremony), Josh Katz became Australia’s youngest ever male judoka at an Olympic Games.

A star in the junior ranks, Josh won the junior national championships in 2013 and 2014 and four straight junior Oceania Championships between 2012-15. He won his first senior Oceania title in 2015, defended it in 2016 and climbed high enough in the rankings to automatically qualify for Rio.

He faced world class -60kg Uzbekistani fighter Diyorbek Urozboev in the opening round of the Rio 2016 competition and went down by ippon.

From a family that lives and breathes the sport, Josh lined up alongside his older brother Nathan in Rio as the duo became the first brothers to compete in judo at the same Games for Australia.

Their mother Kerrye competed at the Seoul 1988 Olympics, when judo was a demonstration sport for women, while their father Robert was a coach on that team as well as the Rio 2016 team.

Following Rio, Josh faced a turbulent period in his career, with injuries and the COVID pandemic hitting him hard. After failing to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics, he had a major rethink.

“I think I really took Rio for granted,” he said. “I just assumed I'd be back there four years later, (and) I don’t know if I fully appreciated the significance of the moment at the time.

“Having missed out on Tokyo, I really enjoy the moments as they come, because you don’t necessarily know when, or if, you’re going to get them again.”

Josh and Nathan were back in Australian colours together again at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in 2022.

Josh lost his semi-final in the men’s 60kg to the eventual gold medallist, but won his repechage bout to take bronze.

Also in 2022, Josh became national champion and captured a bronze medal at the European Open in Sarajevo, in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and a silver in the European Open in Warsaw, Poland. And he claimed a bronze medal at the Pan American Oceania Championships in Lima, Peru.

Nathan announced his retirement in 2023 and is now one of Josh’s coaches.

“It's just really one more person yelling at me and telling me what to do on the side of the mat,” joked Josh. “But really, I’m grateful that Nathan is still so passionate about wanting to help me get to Paris and getting the best result for me. I’m lucky to have one more person that knows me probably better than anyone.”

Josh continued to compete around the world in the lead-up to the Paris Olympics, finishing fifth at the Panamerican and Oceania Championships in April 2024.

At the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Josh competed the day after the Opening Ceremony and lost to Italian Andrea Carlino in the first round of the men's -60kg event.

He has completed a double degree in exercise and sport science and sport management, and he and Nathan run a speaking and mentoring company.