Aoife Coughlan

Aoife Coughlan started judo at the age of five. Her parents both originally lived in Ireland and met through Judo whilst at university. In time they decided to move over to Australia.

Aoife’s family were based in a rural town in Victoria called Traralgon, and it was a 20-minute drive to the nearest judo clubs. Both her brother Eoin and sister Maeve represent Australia in judo, and Eoin represented Australia at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.

From 2014 to 2020 Aoife studied exercise science/sport & recreation management at Victoria University, and when she wasn’t studying or training she was coaching judo.

In her junior years Aoife won many regional medals and titles, she also was able to compete at the World Junior Championships. In 2015 she won the Oceanian cadet title and later went on to win the Oceanian Junior Championship, which she had also won back in 2011.

Since then, Aoife has won bronze at the 2017 European Cup in Bratislava, Taipei Open, Hong Kong’s 2018 Asian Open and the 2019 European Open in Prague.

In early 2021, the 25-year-old placed fifth at the prestigious Doha Masters, the toughest event on the international judo calendar after the Olympic Games and World Championships. Aiofe went on to claim bronze at the 2021 Asian-Pacific Judo Championships in the women's -70kg category.

Aoife made her Olympic debut at the Tokyo Olympic Games competing in the women’s -70kg division. She advanced to the round of 16 after a first-round victory against Kinaua Biribo of Kiribati, but could not overcome her next opponent, Giovanna Scoccimarro of Germany.

Several members of Aoife’s Irish family, including her 89-year-old grandmother, were on hand to see her compete at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in 2022. She put on a terrific show for them, defeating Jamaica’s Ebony Drysdale-Daley in the final to win gold.

Later that year, Aoife won her first ever judo Grand Slam medal, claiming silver in the women's -70kg event in Tokyo.

Aoife continued to show good form in international competition throughout 2023, winning gold in the -70kg class at the Portugal Grand Prix.

For the second-straight Olympics, Victorian Aoife Coughlan made it through to the round of 16 in the women’s 70kg division at Paris 2024. 

After defeating Hungarian Szabina Gercsák (HUN) in the round of 32 with a golden score win, she fell short against world number eight Miriam Butkereit after the German’s crafty footwork led to ippon being given.

The ruthless nature of her sport is not lost on Aoife, who has a philosophical attitude to what she does.

“You can spend your entire life training for this one moment and then it’s over in 10 seconds – which is utterly heartbreaking,” she said. “Or you can have the best day of your life and there you go you have your gold medal.”