Welsh Judo was proud to host the 2026 British National Kata Championships in Cardiff on Sunday 6 September, welcoming kata competitors, judges and officials from across British Judo for a hugely successful day at Wales’ National Dojo.With 40 entries competing across senior and youth kata categories, the Championships showcased the continued growth and development of kata across Britain, with increasingly close scores and a high standard of performances throughout the day.The Welsh Judo Association took responsibility for organising and delivering this year’s Championships, supported by the British Judo Kata Commission, judges, officials and volunteers.Following the event, British Judo Kata Lead Dave Horton-Jones praised the Championships and the Welsh contribution to their success, saying that Welsh Judo and Cardiff could be incredibly proud of the event and that they had “truly done the BJA proud.”

Welsh Judoka Enjoy Outstanding Medal SuccessIt was also an exceptional Championships for Welsh kata, with a Welsh pair reaching the podium in every category except Youth Ju-no-kata.

That meant Welsh representation among the medallists in eight of the nine categories contested, with gold, silver and bronze medal-winning performances across the senior and youth programme. Among the Welsh results were gold for Adam Cardy and Kai Morgan Kelly of Neath Judo Kwai in Katame-no-Kata, while Ev Cadby and Kai Morgan Kelly took silver in Ju-no-Kata. There was further silverware for Welsh clubs throughout the competition, including Julian Moses and Graham Kuhlmann of Porthcawl School of Judo, who claimed silver in Kodokan Goshin-Jutsu, and Tasha Mathias and Emyr Rees of Sanshirokwai, who won bronze in Itsutsu-no-Kata. Damon McGarvie and Michael Hindley of Neyland Judo Club secured bronze in Kime-no-Kata, while Welsh judoka were also represented on the podium across Nage-no-Kata, Youth Nage-no-Kata and Youth Katame-no-Kata. The performances made for a fantastic day for Welsh kata and demonstrated the strength of the discipline across clubs and age groups in Wales.

National Recognition for Ev Cadby and Kai Morgan Kelly

The Championships also provided a special moment for Ev Cadby and Kai Morgan Kelly, who were presented with the 2026 BJA Kata Award in recognition of their outstanding international performances. The pair have continued to break new ground for British and Welsh kata, becoming Great Britain’s first EJU Kata Series medallists, alongside securing multiple medals at the French Open Kata Championships. Their award provided another proud moment for Welsh Judo and reflected the growing strength of kata within Wales, from developing youth partnerships through to international-level performances.

A Successful Championships in Cardiff

The event was delivered across two mats at Wales’ National Dojo, creating an excellent competition environment for competitors, judges and spectators.Head Judge Duncan Kinnear led the competition, supported by established National Kata Judges, trainee judges and competition volunteers, whose contribution helped ensure the Championships ran smoothly throughout the day.Welsh Judo would like to thank British Judo’s Kata Commission, all judges and officials, volunteers, competitors, coaches and supporters who helped make the 2026 Championships such a success.Congratulations also go to every Welsh judoka who competed and represented their clubs throughout the Championships. The performances and results in Cardiff were another encouraging demonstration of the continued growth of kata within Welsh Judo.

Read British Judo’s full report from the 2026 National Kata Championships
View the full results from the 2026 British National Kata Championships