Source :- PERTH NOW NEWS
Aoife Coughlan is relishing a chance to spend time with her two Irish grandmothers, both aged 93, after falling agonisingly short of defending her Commonwealth Games crown in Glasgow.
Coughlan and Saya Middleton both claimed silver after losing gold-medal bouts that followed an eerily similar narrative on Sunday (AEST).
Both Australian judokas had plenty of support in the stands.
Coughlan was cheered on by sister and teammate Maeve, who lost her quarter-final earlier in the day, and “nana”.
Middleton’s brother, and fellow Games debutant, Vas was among a heaving crowd for her final that also included Prince William and Princess Kate.
Coughlan and Middleton, fighting in the women’s -70kg and -63kg divisions respectively, were both deadlocked with their opponent at the end of four minutes of regulation time.
Both judokas then suffered cruel and subjective defeats.
Coughlan lost her title when penalised for a third ‘false attack’ in her final against England’s Kelly Petersen-Pollard, while Middleton’s match against Canadian Laurence Biron ended when she was booked for ‘non combativity’.
The Birmingham 2022 champion is determined to push on and target a medal at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
“I want to win an Olympic medal before I retire,” the two-time Olympian said.
But the pressing priority is family time in Ireland, where both of her parents previously lived and met – via judo at university – before relocating to Australia.
“I get to go for a week to see them,” Coughlan said, becoming emotional while talking about her family’s support in Glasgow.
“I’m really looking forward to it (the Ireland trip). I’ll get to see my grandmother as well, who’s 93. She just wasn’t able to travel here.
“My (other) 93-year-old nana, I was able to see her mat side. It’s incredible to see her here.
“My uncles, my mum and dad are here as well and my brother-in-law. I can’t tell them how much … it’s just incredible to have them here and I wish I could have done a bit more.”
Coughlan noted she was “disappointed in myself and how I fought overall”.
“It’s all mental when it gets to golden score. Everyone’s just as physically tired as the other person,” she said.
“You get them (penalties) when you get them and you can’t complain too much about it.”
Middleton thanked her brother for helping get her “in the zone”.
“We really help bring each other up, we’re training partners most of the time,” she said.
“I’m a bit disappointed about the final, but I think I’ve come a long way and I’m very happy to be walking away with a medal.”
Keishin Ochi’s bronze in the men’s -81kg was Australia’s other judo medal on Sunday.
This AAP article was made possible by support from Commonwealth Games Australia.
