Ryoko Tani facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ryoko Tani
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
谷 亮子
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tani in 2000
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Member of the House of Councillors | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 26 July 2010 – 10 July 2016 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Constituency | National PR | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born |
Ryoko Tamura (田村 亮子, Tamura Ryōko)
6 September 1975 Higashi, Fukuoka, Japan |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Political party | People's Life (2013–2016) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other political affiliations |
Democratic (2010–2012) People's Life First (2012) Tomorrow (2012–2013) |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.46 m (4 ft 9 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse |
Yoshitomo Tani
(m. 2003) |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Children | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | Teikyo University Nippon Sport Science University |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nicknames | Yawara-chan, Tawara | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(1993, 1995, 1997,
(1994)
(2000, 2004)Ryoko Tani (born September 6, 1975) is a famous Japanese politician and a retired judoka. A judoka is someone who practices judo, a Japanese martial art.
She competed in the extra-lightweight class (48 kg). Ryoko Tani won an amazing seven world titles. She also earned five Olympic medals, including two gold medals. These gold medals were won at the Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004 Olympic Games. After she stopped competing, the International Judo Federation called her the "best female judoka ever."
In 2010, Ryoko Tani was elected to the House of Councillors. This is the upper house of the Japanese parliament, which is like a country's main law-making body.
Contents
Early Life and Family
Ryoko Tamura was born in Higashi-ku, Fukuoka, Japan. Her birthday is September 6, 1975. She started learning judo when she was only seven years old.
She studied literature at Teikyo University. In 1998, she joined the company Toyota.
In 2003, she married Yoshitomo Tani. He was an Olympian and a professional baseball player. They have two sons. Their first son was born in 2005, and their second son was born in 2009.
Amazing Judo Career
Ryoko Tani is 1.46 meters (about 4 feet 9 inches) tall. She always competed in the extra-lightweight (48 kg) division. Unlike many other athletes, she did not need to lose weight before competitions.
First Big Wins
Her first major win was in 1990. She won the Fukuoka International Women's Judo Championships. She continued to win this tournament for 13 years in a row!
In 1993, she won her first world title. She also earned her fourth dan, which is a high rank in judo. She then won the world championships in 1995, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2003, and 2007. She did not compete in 2005 because she was expecting her first child. Her record of seven world wins was only beaten in 2015.
Olympic Journey
Ryoko Tani competed in five Olympic Games. She won a medal at each one.
- At the Barcelona 1992 Olympics, she was only 16 years old. She reached the final but lost by a small amount. She won a silver medal.
- After Barcelona, she had an amazing winning streak. She won 84 matches in a row! This led her to her second Olympic final at Atlanta 1996. She was expected to win, but she lost to Kye Sun Hui and got another silver medal. People in Japan wondered if there was an "Olympic curse." Years later, Tani said she was just young and lacked experience in 1992 and 1996.
Gold Medals and Records
After 1996, Ryoko Tani remained unbeaten for 12 years.
- At the Sydney 2000 Olympics, she won her semi-final. In the final, she quickly defeated her opponent. She used an uchi mata (inner-thigh throw) and won an ippon (a full point). This gave her the gold medal!
- Four years later, at the Athens 2004 Olympics, she won a series of matches by ippon. In the final, she dominated her opponent. She won her second Olympic gold medal. She was the first woman judoka to win two Olympic golds.
Beijing Olympics and Retirement
In 2008, at the Beijing Olympics, she hoped to win a third gold. However, she lost in the semi-final. She then won a bronze medal.
Ryoko Tani stopped competing in judo in 2010. In her career, which lasted about 20 years, she only lost 5 times. In 2011, the International Judo Federation honored her. They named her the "best female judoka ever."
Popularity and Impact
Ryoko Tani became very popular in Japan. She followed in the footsteps of Kaori Yamaguchi, who was the first Japanese woman to win a world championship in judo. Judo had mostly been a sport for men before this.
Yamaguchi inspired a character named Yawara Inokuma in a popular manga and anime series called Yawara!. Because of her success, Ryoko Tani was seen as a real-life Yawara. People started calling her Yawara-chan or Tawara.
Thanks to her success and friendly personality, Tani was loved by many. She appeared in many TV commercials. Her wedding was even broadcast live on Japanese television, and 20 million people watched it! The birth of her first child was also a big news event.
Ryoko Tani is given credit for the growth of women's judo in Japan during the 1990s. She showed that women could be incredibly successful in the sport. She also continued her sporting career after getting married and having children. This made her a symbol of how women's roles were changing in Japanese society.
Political Career
Ryoko Tani became interested in politics through Ichiro Ozawa. On May 10, 2010, the Democratic Party announced she would run for election. She was a candidate for the House of Councillors election that summer.
Tani first said she would still continue her judo career. However, after she won the election, she officially retired from judo.
In July 2012, she left the Democratic Party. She joined a new party called People's Life First. Later that year, she helped start the People's Life Party with Ichiro Ozawa.
She was a member of the House of Councillors until July 2016. She decided not to seek another term in the 2016 election.
See also
In Spanish: Ryoko Tani para niños
- List of multiple Olympic medalists in one event
- List of multiple Summer Olympic medalists
