Angela Kaye Deacon

Coached by her father John at his judo club in Ulverstone, she started to win state titles as a youngster and went on to win her first national title as a 12 year old, competing in the under 16 division.

Being awarded a Tasmanian Institute of Sport scholarship helped her to gain interstate experience and her good performances were noted by the national selectors when she was chosen to represent her country at the 1988 Oceania Judo Championships.

Angela won a silver medal in her first international competition, losing to the 1988 Olympic champion by a split referee decision.

1992 was a stellar year for Angela winning gold at the Oceania Judo Championships and becoming the first Australian, and to date the only female, to win the Commonwealth Championships, which she did in the under 56 kg event. This was a remarkable achievement for the outstanding young Tasmanian.

Angela was invited to train in Sydney under Sue Williams, Australia's best ever judo player. Given that Tasmania had no other competitive female judo players, this was an excellent opportunity to train at a higher level with the national team.

Despite the move to Sydney, Angela still considered herself very much a Tasmanian.

At the national level, Angela won three national titles and medaled every year over a twelve year period. She won eight New South Wales state titles and eight Tasmanian state titles.

Angela retired from competition in 2000 in order to take up coaching roles. In 2001, she was made head coach for both the men's and women's New South Wales teams. Since 2000, she has been the National Coach for four world championships, one Commonwealth Games and was the Olympic women's coach in both Athens and Beijing.

Angela has also been selected to coach Oceania at two world team events. Both as an athlete and a coach, Angela indelibly printed her name in to the highest echelon of Tasmanian sport and thoroughly deserves her place in the Tasmanian Sporting Hall of Fame.