Josh Katz
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Joshua Katz (born 29 December 1997) is an Australian Olympic
judoka is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, combat sport, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyc ...
, who competes at −60 kg. He has won 11 Oceania titles and 12 Australian titles as of February 2024. He also won the
2022 Commonwealth Games The 2022 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XXII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Birmingham 2022, were an international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth of Nations that took place in Birmingham, England betw ...
bronze medal and the 2023 Pan American-Oceania Judo Championships silver medal.


Early and personal life

Katz was born on 29 December 1997 in
Baulkham Hills Baulkham Hills (;) is a suburb in the Hills District, New South Wales, Hills District of Greater Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located within north-west of the Sydney central business district mostly within the Loca ...
, New South Wales, Australia, to a
Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
family. Katz's mother is former judoka Kerrye Katz, who competed at the
1988 Summer Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and officially branded as Seoul 1988 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. 159 nations were represe ...
, when judo was a demonstration event for women, and came in seventh; she also won the 1985 Oceania Judo Championship in U66k and 11 Australian national championships. His father Robert was a judoka on the Australian national team and a national judo coach for Australia at both the 1988 Seoul Olympics and the 2016 Rio Olympics. His older brother, Nathan Katz, also competed for Australia in judo at the Rio Olympics. The two brothers have been training partners since they were children. His high school was
William Clarke College William Clarke College is an independent, P–12, co-educational Anglican College located in Kellyville in Sydney's north west (Hills District), Australia. School Houses Notable alumni * Joshua Katz (born 1997), Olympic and 11-time nati ...
, in Kellyville. Katz studied sports and exercise science and sports management at the
University of Canberra The University of Canberra (UC) is a public university, public research university with its main campus located in Bruce, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. The campus is from Belconnen Town Centre, and from Canberra's Civic, Australian ...
and has attended
La Trobe University La Trobe University is a public university, public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. Its main campus is located in the suburb of Bundoora, Victoria, Bundoora. The university was established in 1 ...
, studying for a Bachelor of
Exercise Science Exercise physiology is the physiology of physical exercise. It is one of the allied health professions, and involves the study of the acute responses and chronic adaptations to exercise. Exercise physiologists are the highest qualified exercise ...
. He also lived in
Northmead, New South Wales Northmead is a suburb of Greater Western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Northmead is located 26 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Parramatta. Northmead is ...
, and moved to
Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
in 2022 to train at the newly opened national training centre. He is 167 cm (5 ft 6 in) tall and weighs 60 kg (132 lb).


Judo career

Katz's judo club is the Budokan Judo Club, in
Castle Hill, New South Wales Castle Hill is a suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, located 34 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district and 9.5 kilometres north of Parramatta. It is within the Hills District, New South Wales, Hills District regi ...
, and his coach is his brother Nathan Katz. He had won 11 Oceania titles and 12 Australian titles as of February 2024. He also won the 2022
Commonwealth Games The Commonwealth Games is a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations, which consists mostly, but not exclusively, of territories of the former British Empire. The event was first held in 1930 ...
bronze medal and the 2023 Pan American-Oceania Judo Championships silver medal.


Early years; National and Oceania championships

Katz won the 2013 and 2014 Australian junior national judo championships and the 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2022
Australian National Judo Championships The Australian National Judo Championships are the highest level of judo competition in Australia. The championships are held annually by Judo Australia, and qualified domestic and overseas judoka compete in their respective categories as rep ...
. He also won the 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015 Junior Oceania Judo Championships. He won the 2015, 2016, 2017, and
2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...
senior Oceania Judo Championships. He also was named the 2010 New South Wales Junior Boy of the Year and received the 2010 ''Hills Shire Times'' Young Achiever Award.


2016 Rio Olympics

Katz competed at the
2016 Rio Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Rio 2016, were an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with preliminary events i ...
in the men's 60 kg event at 18 years of age, months after he finished high school. He was eliminated in the second round by
Diyorbek Urozboev Diyorbek Urozboev (born 17 August 1993) is an Uzbekistani judoka. He won a bronze medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Biography In 2011, he took third place at the Masters Bremen tournament among participants under the age o ...
of Uzbekistan, who went on to win the bronze medal, and came in 17th in the tournament. He was Australia’s youngest-ever male judoka to compete at an Olympic Games, and was also the youngest judoka from any nation at those Games. He and his brother Nathan became the first brothers to compete in judo for Australia at the same Olympic Games. Competing at Rio, Katz suffered torn shoulder ligaments.


2017–23

Katz won the 2017 Canberra Junior ACT Cup. He won the gold medal in the 2018 Perth Oceania Open, won a silver medal in the 2018 Hong Kong Asian Open, and won a bronze medal in the 2018 Malaga Senior European Cup. In 2021, Katz did not make the Australian Olympic team for the Tokyo Olympic Games, because he was injured. He then broke his leg in September 2022, and also had shoulder surgery in 2022. Competing in
judo at the 2022 Commonwealth Games Judo competitions at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England, were held from 1 to 3 August 2022. This was the fifth time Judo at the Commonwealth Games, the sport has been on the program, since it was introduced as a demonstration sp ...
in the men's 60 kg in
Birmingham, England Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands region, in England. It is the largest local authority district in England by population and the second-largest cit ...
, in August, he won a bronze medal, after not having competed for six months due to injuries. In 2022 he also won the Australian national championship, a bronze medal at the European Open in February in
Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ), ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'' is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 2 ...
, Bosnia and Herzegovina; a silver medal at the European Open in February in
Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...
, Poland, and a bronze medal at the
2022 Pan American-Oceania Judo Championships The 2022 Pan American Judo Championships were held in Lima, Peru from 15 to 17 April 2022. This edition of the Pan American Judo Championships was combined with the Oceania Judo Championships. Medal table Results Men's events Women's eve ...
in April in
Lima Lima ( ; ), founded in 1535 as the Ciudad de los Reyes (, Spanish for "City of Biblical Magi, Kings"), is the capital and largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rive ...
, Peru. In November 2022, in a competition he suffered elbow ligament and
tendon A tendon or sinew is a tough band of fibrous connective tissue, dense fibrous connective tissue that connects skeletal muscle, muscle to bone. It sends the mechanical forces of muscle contraction to the skeletal system, while withstanding tensi ...
damage, necessitating surgery, and ending his season. Katz had a second shoulder surgery in March 2023. In September 2023, competing in the 2023 Pan American-Oceania Judo Championships in
Calgary Calgary () is a major city in the Canadian province of Alberta. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806 making it the third-largest city and fifth-largest metropolitan area in C ...
, Canada, he won a silver medal.


2024–present; Paris Olympics

In January 2024, Katz suffered a completely ruptured ACL in his knee. At the April 2024 Pan American and Oceania Championships he returned to competition, and came in fifth. On 8 June 2024, winning a silver medal at the 2024 Abidjan African Open in the
Ivory Coast Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire and officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital city of Yamoussoukro is located in the centre of the country, while its largest List of ci ...
, he qualified for the 2024 Olympics. In July 2024 he competed again in the
2024 Paris Olympics The 2024 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad () and branded as Paris 2024, were an international multi-sport event held in France from 26 July to 11 August 2024, with several events started from 24 July. P ...
at Men's 60 kg and was defeated in the first round, 1–0.


References


External links

* * * *
"#165 Josh Katz – Australian Olympic Judo Fighter,"
''Good Humans with Cooper Chapman'', 25 July 2024. {{DEFAULTSORT:Katz, Josh 1997 births Living people 21st-century Australian Jews Australian male judoka Commonwealth Games bronze medallists in judo Commonwealth Games bronze medallists for Australia Jewish Australian sportspeople Judoka at the 2016 Summer Olympics Judoka at the 2024 Summer Olympics Judoka at the 2022 Commonwealth Games La Trobe University alumni Medallists at the 2022 Commonwealth Games Olympic judoka for Australia Sportsmen from New South Wales Martial artists from Melbourne Judoka from Sydney 21st-century Australian sportsmen