Ryoko Tani facts for kids

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Ryoko Tani

Personal information
Native name	谷 亮子, Tani Ryōko
Birth name	Ryoko Tamura (田村 亮子, Tamura Ryōko)
Nickname(s)	Yawara-chan, Tawara
Nationality	Japanese
Born	(1975-09-06) September 6, 1975 (age 49) Fukuoka, Japan
Died	Not recognized as a date. Years must have 4 digits (use leading zeros for years < 1000). (aged Error: Need valid year, month, day)
Occupation	Judoka
Height	1.46 m (4 ft 9 in)
Sport
Country	Japan
Sport	Judo
Weight class	–48 kg
Achievements and titles
World finals	(1993, 1995, 1997, ( 1999, 2001, 2003, ( 2007)
Regional finals	(1994)
Olympic finals	(2000, 2004)
Medal record Women's judo Representing  Japan Olympic Games Gold 2000 Sydney ‍–‍48 kg Gold 2004 Athens ‍–‍48 kg Silver 1992 Barcelona ‍–‍48 kg Silver 1996 Atlanta ‍–‍48 kg Bronze 2008 Beijing ‍–‍48 kg World Championships Gold 1993 Hamilton ‍–‍48 kg Gold 1995 Chiba ‍–‍48 kg Gold 1997 Paris ‍–‍48 kg Gold 1999 Birmingham ‍–‍48 kg Gold 2001 Munich ‍–‍48 kg Gold 2003 Osaka ‍–‍48 kg Gold 2007 Rio de Janeiro ‍–‍48 kg Bronze 1991 Barcelona ‍–‍48 kg Asian Games Gold 1994 Hiroshima ‍–‍48 kg Asian Championships Bronze 1991 Osaka ‍–‍48 kg Summer Universiade Gold 1995 Fukuoka ‍–‍48 kg
Updated on 30 May 2023.

Ryoko Tani (谷 亮子, Tani Ryōko, née Tamura (田村), born September 6, 1975) is a famous Japanese politician and a retired judo athlete. She is known for her incredible success in the sport of judo.

Ryoko Tani competed in the extra-lightweight division, which is for athletes weighing 48 kilograms (about 106 pounds). She won a record 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 chosen to be a member of the House of Councillors. This is the upper house of the Japanese parliament, where laws are made.

Early Life and Family

Ryoko Tamura was born in Higashi-ku, Fukuoka, Japan, on September 6, 1975. She started learning judo when she was only seven years old.

She went to Teikyo University to study literature. In 1998, she joined the company Toyota.

In 2003, she married Yoshitomo Tani. He was an Olympian and a professional baseball player. Ryoko and Yoshitomo 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 judo athletes, she never had to lose a lot of weight before a competition.

Her first big win was in 1990 at the Fukuoka International Women's Judo Championships. She won 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 continued to win the world championships every two years 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 titles was only beaten in 2015 by French judoka Teddy Riner.

Olympic Journey

Ryoko Tani competed in five Olympic Games. She won a medal at every single one.

• Barcelona 1992: At just 16 years old, she went to her first Olympics. She won against a very experienced British fighter, Karen Briggs. But she lost in the final match and won a silver medal.
• Atlanta 1996: She had an amazing winning streak of 84 matches before these Olympics. She was expected to win gold. However, she lost to Kye Sun Hui from North Korea and won another silver medal. People in Japan wondered if she had an "Olympic curse." Years later, Ryoko said there was no curse. She explained that in 1992, she was too young. In 1996, she was still learning.
• Sydney 2000: After 1996, she remained undefeated for 12 years. In Sydney, she had a tough semi-final match. But in the final, she quickly defeated Lyubov Bruletova from Russia. After only 36 seconds, Ryoko used an uchi mata (inner-thigh throw). She was awarded an ippon, which means an instant win, and she won her first gold medal.
• Athens 2004: Four years later, she won many matches by ippon to reach the final. She beat Frédérique Jossinet from France. Ryoko took an early lead with a koka (a small score). She then confirmed her win with a waza-ari (a half-point score) at the end of the fight. She became the first woman judoka to win two Olympic gold medals.
• Beijing 2008: In Beijing, she hoped to win her third gold medal. However, she lost in the semi-final to Alina Dumitru from Romania. The judges gave penalty points, which was a controversial decision. Ryoko then fought for the bronze medal. She defeated Lyudmila Bogdanova from Russia to win her fifth Olympic medal.

Ryoko Tani stopped competing in 2010. In her career of about 20 years, she only lost 5 times. In 2011, the International Judo Federation honored her. They named her the "best female judoka ever."

Why She's a Legend

Ryoko Tani became very popular in Japan because of her success and friendly personality. She was seen as a real-life version of Yawara Inokuma. Yawara is the main character in a popular manga and anime series called Yawara!. This character was inspired by another famous judoka, Kaori Yamaguchi.

Ryoko Tani appeared in many TV commercials. Her wedding ceremony was even shown live on Japanese television. About 20 million people watched it. When her first child was born, it was also a big news event.

Ryoko Tani is given credit for making women's judo very popular in Japan in the 1990s. This led to many new female judo athletes. She also showed that women could continue their sports careers even after getting married and having children. She won her last world title as a young mother. Because of this, she is seen as a symbol of how women's roles are changing in Japanese society.

Life in Politics

Ryoko Tani entered the world of politics with the help of Ichiro Ozawa. In May 2010, the Democratic Party announced that she would run for a seat in the House of Councillors. This election was in the summer of 2010.

Ryoko first said she still wanted to continue her judo career. But after she won the election, she decided to retire from judo. She served as a member of the House of Councillors from July 26, 2010, to July 10, 2016.

See also

• List of multiple Olympic medalists in one event
• List of multiple Summer Olympic medalists