Master mentors new generation

In a sport where smaller judoka often battle much larger opponents, AB Shane Rigby showed that mentorship carries as much weight as performance.

At the 2026 Oceania Military and Police Judo Championships on April 19, his only match of the competition was in the under 90kg division against a significantly larger opponent.

“The first round went tit-for-tat but the second round he pretty much dominated and got the throw in for the win,” AB Rigby said.

“They say judo is a small man’s sport, but it’s harder when they’re towering over you and you’re constantly looking up.”

Two mixed teams of ADF and police judoka faced off against a team of Oceania representatives from Fiji, Samoa and Guam.

Oceania won the competition, with Australia One in second and Australia Two third.

But it was AB Rigby’s role off the mat that he took the most pride in.

At the Oceania Judo Championships, held the same weekend, he coached a student into the bronze medal match, and supported his younger brother in a fight for a Commonwealth Games spot.

AB Rigby said he enjoyed passing on knowledge to build the next generation of judoka.

“Being able to watch your players grow and develop and seeing them achieve great things is very fulfilling for me,” he said.

“I think my young competing career is a bit behind me, now I just do it for a bit of fun.”

AB Rigby started judo age nine, and stepped away from competing to become a coach, a national referee and focus on his career.

ADF Combat Sports Association (ADFCSA) president LTCOL Derek Morris said the competition was a great success.

“The Oceania Judo Union are moving us up the program for the next one because of the camaraderie and audience participation. Everything they want was there,” he said.

“It’s exposing our ADF and veterans to high-level judo players, which is improving their self-esteem and performance as judoka.”

The ADFCSA has a partnership with the Judo Australia national team, with ADF personnel training full time at the National Performance Centre in Melbourne.

LTCOL Morris said the ADF was an attractive career for high-level judoka, and hopes to see an ADF athlete on the podium at the 2032 Olympics in Brisbane.

“There are more judo players in the ADF that I don’t know about and that don’t know about us,” he said.

“If they want to get involved, we have money to send them to competitions.”

To get involved with ADF Judo, email adf.combatsports@defence.gov.au.