Nathan Katz says farewell to competitive judo

Australian Judoka Nathan Katz announced his retirement which he considered for a while but now he had no doubts anymore to make it publically.

Today, I’m going to publicly announce my retirement from competitive judo. 

I’ve delayed this post for as long as possible, as it’s a decision which hasn’t been an easy one, but ultimately one I believe is right. 

Since I was a little boy, my goals and purpose have been shaped by and around Judo. When I finished school at 17, I have trained full-time in the pursuit of my Olympic dreams and for the first time in my life, my goals and dreams will shift. 

The last few years of my judo career have been extremely challenging and gradually over time it’s gotten to the point where the highs of competing, couldn’t outweigh the deepening lows I would experience post competition. Physically, I’ve been dealing with a couple of deteriorating issues, which just won’t let me get what I need out of my body anymore. Ultimately, this is why I know in my heart that it’s time to pull the curtain on my competitive career. 

Judo will always be my first love, and is responsible for shaping me into the person I am today. It’s taught me the value of hard work and discipline, in showing up when it’s hard, being there for your mates, and the power of believing in your dreams. I don’t believe that a lifetime of service  giving back to the sport could ever equal exactly what Judo has given me. 

Reflecting over the past couple of weeks, I feel so incredibly grateful to have had the opportunity to represent my country on the world stage for over half of my life. Thank you to the Australian Olympic Team for letting a little kid from Northmead live out his wildest Olympic dreams. 2 Olympic Games and a Commonwealth Games. Almost always alongside Josh Katz. These are moments in time I’ll never forget. 

It’s hard to put into words exactly what I’ll miss the most, but it definitely entails scouring around the world chasing my dreams alongside my little brother, and best mate. If it wasn’t for Josh, I probably would have been finished after Tokyo. 

For so much of my career, my personal value and self worth was always so closely connected to my competition performance and results. I’d be lying if I 
said this transition isn’t daunting and in parts scary, but I’m really excited to explore the opportunities that lie ahead. 

24 years ago I took my first ever Judo class at Budokan Judo club, in Castle Hill run by Mum and Dad (Rob Katz). A month ago, I prepared for my last ever judo competition in that same very place, with the same coaches. I’m proud that despite all of the opportunities and experiences I’ve been blessed with, I never lost sight of where I came from and am surrounded by the same people today who have believed in me since Day 1. 

There are far too many people to thank and recognise for their love, support and guidance over my career, but there’s a select few I simply can’t go without publicly thanking and recognising. 

That being said, this post has sat in my notes for the last 2 and a half weeks and I’ve run out of tissues, so I’ll do these people justice in another post over the next week. 

Thank you for every message of support, and for following along this crazy, crazy ride. No matter how far away from home I was, I never felt alone on the mat.

Nathan Katz

Katz qualified for Rio as Oceania champion of 2015 and 2016. He competed at many events around the globe but didn't win senior medals outside his continent yet. Nathan is older brother of Joshua and son of Rob and Kerrye Katz, a true Australian judo family. Nathan Katz (AUS) was number 1 of the IJF World Ranking for juniors U66kg in 2015. He clinched a bronze medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.