Ryoko Tani

Ryoko Tani is a Japanese judoka and politician who won two Olympic gold medals and seven world championships in women’s judo.

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1993 World Judo Championships: The world judo championships held in Hamilton, Ontario, where Ryoko Tani won her first senior world title. This victory began her record run of seven world championships.
Jigoro Kano: The Japanese educator who founded judo in the late nineteenth century. Kano’s discipline became the sport in which Tani built her career.
House of Councillors: The upper house of Japan’s National Diet, elected to six-year terms. Tani served as a member after entering national politics.
Driulis González: A Cuban judoka who won four Olympic medals and three world titles across four Olympic Games. González provides a prominent international comparison for longevity in women’s judo.
1996 Summer Olympics: The Summer Olympic Games held in Atlanta, Georgia. Tani won silver in the women’s 48-kilogram judo event, her first Olympic medal.
Tadahiro Nomura: A Japanese judoka who won three consecutive Olympic gold medals in the men’s 60-kilogram division. Nomura’s Olympic record offers a close Japanese parallel to Tani’s sustained excellence.
People’s New Party: A Japanese political party founded in 2005 by lawmakers who opposed postal privatization. Tani entered the House of Councillors as a member of this party.
Funa Tonaki: A Japanese judoka who won silver in the women’s 48-kilogram division at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Tonaki competed in Tani’s weight class in a later generation of Japanese judoka.
2000 Summer Olympics: The Summer Olympic Games held in Sydney, Australia. Tani won her first Olympic gold in the women’s 48-kilogram judo event.
Kaori Matsumoto: A Japanese judoka who won Olympic gold in the women’s 57-kilogram division at the 2012 London Games. Matsumoto carried Japanese women’s judo to Olympic gold after Tani’s era.