Ryoko Tani
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| Olympic medal record | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Judo | |||
| Silver | 1992 Barcelona | Women's - 48kg | |
| Silver | 1996 Atlanta | Women's - 48kg | |
| Gold | 2000 Sydney | Women's - 48kg | |
| Gold | 2004 Athens | Women's - 48kg | |
Ryoko Tani (谷亮子 Tani Ryōko, born September 6, 1975) is one of the most famous female Judo competitors in Japan. Her maiden name was Ryoko Tamura (田村亮子 Tamura Ryōko). She was born in Fukuoka, Fukuoka. Also, she is now an employee at Toyota Motor Corporation. Her blood type is B.
She is commonly known as 'Yawara-chan' (from the title character of Yawara!, a popular judo manga). Since she won the International Women's Judo Championships in 1990, 'Yawara-chan' has gone on to win the event every year. She has a record six world titles and she brought home the 48kg-category gold medal from Sydney Olympics in 2000 and the Athens Olympics in 2004. In 2003, she married Yoshitomo Tani, an Olympian and professional baseball player with the Orix Blue Wave. The reception reportedly cost $3 million.
Tani has been very popular in Japan. The 'Ryoko Izumo' character from the World Heroes fighting video game series is loosely based on her. Also, the recent birth of her child was a major press event with camera crews waiting for the first glimpse of her emergence from the hospital.
She is considering competing in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, but it will depend on her results in tournaments such as the 2007 All-Japan Olympic qualifier or the Rio de Janeiro qualifier.
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Categories: 1975 births | Living people | Japanese judoka | Olympic competitors for Japan | Judoka at the 1992 Summer Olympics | Judoka at the 1996 Summer Olympics | Judoka at the 2000 Summer Olympics | Judoka at the 2004 Summer Olympics | People from Fukuoka Prefecture | Martial arts biography stubs
