Judo has been a part of Josh's life for as long as he can remember. His mother represented Australia at the 1988 Olympics with his father as coach. Josh's brother Nathan (class of 2012) also competes in Judo in a different weight category.
In 2016, Josh became the youngest member of the Australian Judo Olympic team when he competed in Rio. This was the first huge milestone for his career at just 18 and straight out of school. In 2019, Josh finished in the top 16 at the World Championships, then COVID-19 hit. 2020 and 2021 were years of huge adjustment. Most of the international competitions occur in Europe, so with borders shut and the 2020 Olympics postponed, Josh was forced to stay at home and try to remain focused on his training. When travel did reopen, hotel quarantines presented psychological and physical challenges. Unfortunately, Josh just missed out on qualifying for the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo. This disappointment sharpened his resolve and spurred him on. In 2022, Josh competed at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, where he was awarded the Bronze Medal in the 60kg division, with his brother Nathan also winning bronze in the 66Kg division. In addition to this Josh is 4 time Senior Oceania Champion, 3 time Senior Australian National Champion and medallist at numerous World and European cup events including Gold in the Oceania Open.
During school, Josh was a hardworking and dedicated student. Since graduating from the college, Josh has combined training and competing in Judo with university studies and has recently graduated from the University of Canberra with a double degree in Sport and Exercise Science and Sports Management. Earlier this year, Josh was accepted into the Australian Institute of Sport's Virtual Internship program - a program that offers athletes the chance to gain invaluable work experience that's flexible, accessible and works around their demanding schedules.
Alongside his brother, Josh is keen to influence the future generations through their independent speaking and mentoring business. Both Josh and Nathan travel around the country speaking in both Primary and High Schools, encouraging students to set goals, build resilience and determination and create successful daily schedules.
Josh competed in his second Olympic Games in Paris in 2024 and continues to compete around the world.
