The three-day event at the Arena de Paita saw Australia’s Bryan Jolly overcame his compatriot Soloman Blanch in the men’s under 55 kilogram division to take gold, with the result a reflection of their countries superiority in the junior divisions at the Championships.

Their success continued with Joshua and Nathan Katz seeing off competition from New Zealand’s Antoine Rahier and New Caledonia’s Pierre Charlier to win their respective under 60kg and 66kg events.

Sam King and Dylan Anderson added to the Australia’s gold medal haul by triumphing in the under 73 and 81 kg divisions, however New Zealand earned a solitary gold on the opening day of competition after Matthew Rowley won his under 90kg bout with Australia’s Hayden Ivers.

Loana Naras joined Rowley as the only non-Australian judoka to take gold, as the French Polynesian athlete claimed the under 52kg title after beating Australia’s Tinka Easton in the final.

Australia were not to be denied further success, however, with Ellen Wright taking gold in in the under 57kg dvision, ahead of New Zealand’s Jade Tuilaepa and Amelia Hammett, who finished in the silver and bronze medal positions respectively.

Maeve and Aoife Coughlan added to the gold rush by overcoming the challenge of New Zealand’s Ashley Porter and Louise Kelly in the final of the women’s under 63kg and 70kg divisions.

The senior competitions are set to take place tomorrow, with vital Rio 2016 qualification points available for judoka’s, while the three-day event concludes on Sunday (April 12) after a Kata Open and Veterans Open.

A live feed of the action in Nouméa can be accessed by clicking here.


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