Australia confirms roster of Olympic Judo Team

(BEIJING, July 8) -- Maria Pekli, bronze medalist at the 2004 Athens Olympics, will participate in her fifth Olympics this summer as she heads to Beijing as part of Australia's Olympic Judo Team, the Official Website of the 2008 Australia Olympic Team reports.

Before moving to Australia in 1996, Pekli represented Hungary at the 1992 Barcelona and 1996 Atlanta Olympics. She will be one of 13 judoka representing Australia in Beijing.

Nine of Pekli's teammates -- Mark Anthony, Steven Brown, Matt Celotti, Matthew D'Aquino, Tiffany Day, Stephanie Grant, Dennis Iverson, Kristie-Anne Ryder and Janelle Shepherd -- will be participating in the Olympics for the first time.

The roster of Australian Olympic Judo team:

Men

-60kg (extra-lightweight) Matthew D'Aquino

60-66kg (half-lightweight) Steven Brown

66-73kg (lightweight) Dennis Iverson

73-81kg (half-middleweight) Mark Anthony

81-90kg (middleweight) Daniel Kelly

90-100kg (half-heavyweight) Matt Celotti

+100kg (heavyweight) Semir pepic

Women

-48kg (extra-lightweight) Tiffany Day

48-52kg (half-lightweight) Kristie-Anne Ryder

52-57kg (lightweight) Maria Pekli

57-63kg (half-middleweight) Catherine Arlove

70-78kg (half-heavyweight) Stephanie Grant

+78kg (heavyweight) Janelle Shepherd