On another memorable night on the tatami mat at the SEC Centre, Malaysia and Mauritius won their first Commonwealth Games Judo gold medals.

Amir Daniel Bin Abdul Majeed, who claimed bronze at Birmingham 2022 in the 73kg class, delivered the precious metal for Malaysia in the Men’s -81kg category with a stunning waza-ari to beat South Africa’s Timothy Meuwsen, an opponent he teamed up with before the last Commonwealth Games when neither had training partners.  

“We’re friends and he was a great opponent, strong and fearless,” said the 21-year-old victor.

“I started developing that move during a training camp in Mongolia, I tried it once during a grand slam tournament and ever since I've kept refining it and making it more useful in competition. At last the sacrifices paid off.

“It's surreal. Honestly, after every competition I've won, I've cried my eyes out, but I don't think it's sunk in yet that I've won the gold medal.”

Remi Feuillet of Mauritius was also coming to terms with his achievement in upgrading his silver from Birmingham 2022 to gold at Glasgow 2026 in the Men’s -90kg after edging a tense final with Canada’s Guillaume Gaulin by a single Yuko.

“I saw the reception earlier with all my team-mates, all my federation, the ministry, the Olympic committee,” said the 33-year-old after hearing his island nation’s anthem bellow around Hall 4.

“I guess every Mauritian is proud to have this gold medal. It’s very cool, very cool.”

Laurence Biron won Canada’s third Judo gold of the Games in the Women’s -63kg category, beating Australian Saya Middleton, while there were two more golds for England, who took their overall medal tally in the sport to 10 at Glasgow 2026.

Ethan Nairne, whose sister Lele Nairne collected bronze on Friday, beat team-mate Benjamim Levy in the Men’s -73kg category and Kelly Petersen-Pollard upset Australian defending champion Aoife Coughlan in the Women’s -70kg.

“We’ve fought five times and she’s won all five,” said Petersen-Pollard.

“The last time was only four weeks ago in China and she beat me on penalties, so this means so much. I knew in China that I had the plan, so I was confident I could do it here.” 

'She battled cancer, you can battle this'

There was a distinctly family affair about many of Saturday’s medallists, with plenty of emotion on display.

Perhaps the most heart-rending was the third Commonwealth Games bronze won by England’s Jemima Yeats-Brown, four years after losing her sister Jenny to brain cancer just weeks after competing at Birmingham 2022.

"She's in my head all day, all night, every day,” said the 31-year-old, who promptly announced her retirement as she prepares to undergo a fourth anterior cruciate ligament operation in a fortnight.

“These events are always a bit sad because she should be here.

"In golden score, I just kept thinking, 'She battled cancer, you can battle this. Get to the end'. And that's what I did. I just think sometimes that's my sister by my side, helping me get over the line.”
Jemima Yeats-Brown

'Best feeling in the world'

The other bronze in the Women’s -70kg was won by Northern Ireland’s Rachael Hawkes, who is coached by her elder sister Sarah, a former judoka.

“When you’re out there fighting, you know you’re not on your own and she’s out there with you,” said Hawkes, who celebrated wildly.

“It is the best feeling in the world. I don’t think I have screamed like that in my life. Right now I just want to see my mum and eat pizza.”

The biggest cheers of the night were reserved for home favourite Scott Cusack, who took bronze in the Men’s -90kg, following the example of parents Loretta and Billy, who claimed gold and bronze respectively at the 1990 Commonwealth Games.

“I've always grown up with them being so successful in judo, and it kind of made me want to have a little bit of success as well,” said Cusack, who now turns his attention to getting married on 13 August.

“This last week, happily, my fiancee has kind of left me alone, but I know there have been some spelling mistakes on table lists and I've just been looking at them and thinking, ‘I'll deal with that next week’.”

On the final day of Judo competition on Sunday medals will be  decided in the Women’s -78kg and +78kg categories, as well as the Men’s -100kg and +100kg.