Australian judoka Josh Katz was left crying on the shoulder of his coach and older brother Nathan after falling short of Commonwealth Games gold in Glasgow.
The 28-year-old lost the men’s 60kg final on Saturday morning (AEST) after India’s Harsh Singh nailed a waza-ari throw in the final minute of their bout.
Katz took silver ahead of teammate Pedro Antun Neto, who beat Botswana’s Tumiso Phuthego via ippon for bronze.
Pedro Carlos Antun Neto of Australia after winning bronze in Glasgow. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP
Katz was not the only Australian to suffer heartbreak in Glasgow, with defending 2022 champion Tinka Easton and Games debutant Vas Middleton falling short of the podium.
Katz, a Paris Olympian, was out to win gold with his brother after both siblings claimed bronze medals in 2022.
Josh Katz took men’s 60kg bronze at the Birmingham Games, where older brother Nathan, now aged 31, finished third in the 66kg event.
“A bit gutted,” an emotional Josh Katz said after the final, having recorded three earlier wins in Glasgow.
“I felt really good today and super confident that I could win gold. Coming off straight away after losing a final that I felt like I could win, it hurts, for sure.
“You know you got to wait a really long time (to fight for gold again), maybe never.
“I don’t know how many more opportunities I’m going to have.”
Holding back tears as he spoke, Katz joked he was awaiting a spray from Nathan.
“He just gave me a hug, and I was crying a little on his shoulder,” Katz said. “It makes me a little bit emotional.
“We were looking at some pictures from four years ago, and we really wanted to try to make some more memories today.
“We did. There were a few times today, we looked at each other and just laughed and smiled, like, ‘oh yeah, like this is a pretty cool place to be’.
“It’s hard now, and I’m sure he’ll spray me out the back when I go back for losing the final. I wish we could have changed the colour of the medal.”
Easton was also in tears after a devastating loss by ippon to Cameroon’s Marie Celine Baba Matia in their women’s 52kg bronze-medal bout.
Tinka Easton of Australia after her loss in the women’s 52kg bronze medal contest. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP
The 30-year-old was defeated earlier in her semi-final by eventual gold medallist Evelyn Beaton, losing to the Canadian by yuko.
“I wanted to make magic happen again and reclaim my title. So it’s a very, very disappointing end to the competition,” Easton said.
Middleton lost by yuko to Cypriot judoka Petros Christodoulides in their men’s 66kg bronze-medal match.
Middleton’s older sister Saya will also compete in Glasgow, fighting to reach the podium in the women’s -63kg event.