Nathan Katz (born 17 January 1995) is a retired[2] Australian Olympic and five-time national champion judoka, and current judo coach.

Nathan Katz
Personal information
Born (1995-01-17) 17 January 1995 (age 29)
Victoria, Australia[1]
OccupationJudoka
Websitewww.teamkatz.com.au Edit this at Wikidata
Sport
CountryAustralia
SportJudo
Weight class‍–‍66 kg
Retired18 October 2023[2]
Achievements and titles
Olympic GamesR16 (2020)
World Champ.R32 (2017, 2021)
OJU Champ.Gold (2015, 2016, 2017)
Commonwealth GamesBronze (2022)
Medal record
Men's judo
Representing  Australia
Oceania Championships
Gold medal – first place 2015 Nouvelle ‍–‍66 kg
Gold medal – first place 2016 Canberra ‍–‍66 kg
Gold medal – first place 2017 Nukuʻalofa ‍–‍66 kg
Oceania Junior Championships
Gold medal – first place 2014 Auckland ‍–‍66 kg
Gold medal – first place 2015 Nouvelle ‍–‍66 kg
Silver medal – second place 2010 Canberra ‍–‍55 kg
Silver medal – second place 2011 Papeete ‍–‍60 kg
Bronze medal – third place 2012 Cairns ‍–‍66 kg
Bronze medal – third place 2013 Apia ‍–‍66 kg
Commonwealth Games
Bronze medal – third place 2022 Birmingham ‍–‍66 kg
Profile at external databases
IJF7602
JudoInside.com67682
Updated on 31 January 2023

Early and personal life

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Katz was born in Melbourne, Australia, and is Jewish.[3][4] Katz's mother is former judoka Kerrye Katz who competed at the 1988 Summer Olympics, 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.[5][6] His father Robert was a former judoka on the Australian national team and a national judo coach for Australia at both the 1988 Seoul Olympics and the 2016 Rio Olympics.[7][8][9]

His younger brother Josh Katz also competed for Australia in judo at the Rio Olympics; he also competed at the Paris Olympics.[10] The two brothers were training partners since they were children.[3] He graduated from William Clarke College.[11]

Judo career

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Katz was a 2x Cadet Australian National Champion, and a 5x Australian National Champion.[4]

Katz qualified for the 2016 Rio Olympics due to his having been Oceania champion in 2015 and 2016.[10] He was ranked number 1 in the 2015 IJF World Ranking for juniors U66kg.[10] In 2022 he underwent knee surgery.[12]

Katz competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in the men's 66 kg event, in which he was eliminated in the second round by Imad Bassou.[13][14]

Katz started his 2020 Tokyo men's 66 kg event in the round of 32 against Juan Postigos of Peru, winning seconds before golden score with a stunning left-drop seoinage. In the round of 16, He fought Baruch Shmailov of Israel who he ended up losing to. Shmailov went on to fight for bronze.[15]

He won a bronze medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England.[10] It was his first competition in six months, as he had been injured.[16]

He retired from competition in October 2023.[10] He is now his brother's training partner and coach.[17]

References

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  1. ^ "Nathan Katz".
  2. ^ a b "Nathan Katz says farewell to competitive judo". JudoInside.com. 17 October 2023. Archived from the original on 24 October 2023. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  3. ^ a b Sam Kestenbaum (12 July 2016). "2 Jewish Brothers Have ‘Judo in Their Blood’ — and They’re Headed to Olympics," The Forward.
  4. ^ a b "Nathan Katz," Budokan Judo Club.
  5. ^ "Kerrye Katz," Judo Inside.
  6. ^ "Kerrye Katz," Olympedia.org.
  7. ^ Air Vongxayasy (5 September 2022). "The Katz family has a long lasting judo history," Judo Inside.
  8. ^ "Nathan Katz," commonwealthgames.com.
  9. ^ Shane Desiatnik (22 June 2017). "Katz brothers’ judo journey," The Australian Jewish News.
  10. ^ a b c d e "Nathan Katz says farewell to competitive judo," Judo Inside, 17 October 2023.
  11. ^ "Two brothers headed to Rio," Australian Jewish News.
  12. ^ "Australia's most passionate judo dad," Olympics.com.au.
  13. ^ "Nathan Katz". Rio 2016. Archived from the original on 1 September 2016. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
  14. ^ "Men −66 kg – Standings". Rio 2016. Archived from the original on 20 August 2016. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
  15. ^ "Australian Olympic Team for Tokyo 2021". The Roar. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  16. ^ "Katz Duo Capture Bronze Medals," Hills To Hawkesbury News.
  17. ^ "Paris 2024 Preview: Judo," Olympics.com.
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