Ryoko Tani
Encyclopedia
is one of the world's most famous and successful judoka. She was born in Fukuoka, Fukuoka
. She was an employee at Toyota Motor Corporation, but is now entering politics.
, 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 seven world titles and she brought home the 48 kg-category gold medal from Sydney Olympics in 2000 and the Athens Olympics in 2004.
Her 84-match winning streak was finally broken in 1996 by North Korea's Kye Sun Hui.
She holds a fourth dan.
In 2003, she married Yoshitomo Tani
, an Olympian and professional baseball player then with the Orix Blue Wave (now with the Yomiuri Giants
). The reception reportedly cost $3 million.
In Beijing in 2008 Tani, who had not been beaten in a major international competition since the Atlanta Games in 1996, saw her hopes of a third-straight gold evaporate when judges awarded penalty points to Romania's Alina Dumitru after both competitors failed to show much aggression. Looking stunned, Tani fought desperately after the final controversial penalty call, but with only seconds left she had no time to mount an attack.
She defeated Russia's Lyudmila Bogdanova for bronze. She gained her fifth Olympic medal with the bronze.
Along with Cuba's Driulys González and Australia's Mária Pekli
, Tani became in 2008 the first female judoka to compete at five Olympics. The only other judokas to compete at five Olympics are Belgian Robert Van de Walle
and Puerto Rican judoka-bobsledder Jorge Bonnet
.
and Fighter's History
fighting video games
series are both loosely based on her. Also, the recent birth of her child, Yoshiaki, was a major press event with camera crews waiting for the first glimpse of her emergence from the hospital.
Tani lost the 2007 All-Japan Weight Class Judo Championship, which doubles as the qualifier for Olympics and the World Championships on those years when the events take place, but was selected as Japan's representative anyway by the All Japan Judo Federation (AJJF). She then won the gold medal in the Rio de Janeiro World Championships. Tani lost the All-Japan again in April 2008, to 21-year-old Emi Yamagishi. Again, the AJJF selected Tani for Japan's team in place of Yamagishi. The AJJF refused to answer questions about Tani's selection after the decision, but later said that Tani was selected because "She is especially strong against international opponents". The selection prompted Philip Brasor, media commentator for the Japan Times to ask "...maybe Tani is the better choice, but why have qualifying bouts in the first place?". The AJFF uses qualifying bouts as only one criterion considered for selection, with performance in international events as another.
announced that Tani would represent the party as a proportional candidate
in the Summer 2010 House of Councillors election
. Tani stated that she still intends to pursue her Judo career, but would like to help "build a nation everyone desires" as a member of the Upper House. Tani won the July 2010 election for the seat in question.
Fukuoka, Fukuoka
is the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture and is situated on the northern shore of the island of Kyushu in Japan.Voted number 14 in a 2010 poll of the World's Most Livable Cities, Fukuoka is praised for its green spaces in a metropolitan setting. It is the most populous city in Kyushu, followed by...
. She was an employee at Toyota Motor Corporation, but is now entering politics.
Career
She is commonly known as 'Yawara-chan'or 'Tawara' (from the title character of Yawara!Yawara! A Fashionable Judo Girl
YAWARA!, also known as Yawara! A Fashionable Judo Girl, is a Japanese manga series by Naoki Urasawa which ran in Big Comic Spirits from 1986 to 1993...
, a popular judo manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
). 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 seven world titles and she brought home the 48 kg-category gold medal from Sydney Olympics in 2000 and the Athens Olympics in 2004.
Her 84-match winning streak was finally broken in 1996 by North Korea's Kye Sun Hui.
She holds a fourth dan.
In 2003, she married Yoshitomo Tani
Yoshitomo Tani
Yoshitomo Tani is a Japanese professional baseball player from Higashiōsaka, Osaka, Japan. He currently plays as an outfielder for the Yomiuri Giants....
, an Olympian and professional baseball player then with the Orix Blue Wave (now with the Yomiuri Giants
Yomiuri Giants
The are a professional baseball team based in Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan. The team competes in the Central League in Nippon Professional Baseball, the top level of professional play in Japan. They play their home games in the Tokyo Dome, opened in 1988. The English-language press occasionally calls the...
). The reception reportedly cost $3 million.
In Beijing in 2008 Tani, who had not been beaten in a major international competition since the Atlanta Games in 1996, saw her hopes of a third-straight gold evaporate when judges awarded penalty points to Romania's Alina Dumitru after both competitors failed to show much aggression. Looking stunned, Tani fought desperately after the final controversial penalty call, but with only seconds left she had no time to mount an attack.
She defeated Russia's Lyudmila Bogdanova for bronze. She gained her fifth Olympic medal with the bronze.
Along with Cuba's Driulys González and Australia's Mária Pekli
Maria Pekli
Maria Pekli is an Australian judoka of Hungarian descent. She was Australian Champion in the u/57 kg division for seven consecutive years, between 1997-2003....
, Tani became in 2008 the first female judoka to compete at five Olympics. The only other judokas to compete at five Olympics are Belgian Robert Van de Walle
Robert Van De Walle
Robert Van de Walle is a Belgian judoka. He was the first judoka to ever compete at five Olympics.He was born in Ostend....
and Puerto Rican judoka-bobsledder Jorge Bonnet
Jorge Bonnet
Jorge L. Bonnet is a Puerto Rican judoka and bobsledder who competed at five Olympic Games. He competed in judo at the 1984 and 1988 Summer Olympics, and in bobsleigh at the 1992, 1994, and 1998 Winter Olympics.-External links:*...
.
Popularity and selection controversy
Tani has been very popular in Japan. The Ryoko characters from the World HeroesWorld Heroes
is a series of fighting games created by ADK originally created for the Neo Geo MVS arcade cabinets with the assistance of SNK, though some of the games in the series were also ported to the Neo Geo AES and Neo-Geo CD platforms, as well as some non-SNK platforms such as the Super NES and the Sega...
and Fighter's History
Fighter's History
is a series of competitive fighting games that were produced by Data East during the 1990s. The original Fighter's History was first released for the arcades in and then ported to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in...
fighting video games
Fighting game
Fighting game is a video game genre where the player controls an on-screen character and engages in close combat with an opponent. These characters tend to be of equal power and fight matches consisting of several rounds, which take place in an arena. Players must master techniques such as...
series are both loosely based on her. Also, the recent birth of her child, Yoshiaki, was a major press event with camera crews waiting for the first glimpse of her emergence from the hospital.
Tani lost the 2007 All-Japan Weight Class Judo Championship, which doubles as the qualifier for Olympics and the World Championships on those years when the events take place, but was selected as Japan's representative anyway by the All Japan Judo Federation (AJJF). She then won the gold medal in the Rio de Janeiro World Championships. Tani lost the All-Japan again in April 2008, to 21-year-old Emi Yamagishi. Again, the AJJF selected Tani for Japan's team in place of Yamagishi. The AJJF refused to answer questions about Tani's selection after the decision, but later said that Tani was selected because "She is especially strong against international opponents". The selection prompted Philip Brasor, media commentator for the Japan Times to ask "...maybe Tani is the better choice, but why have qualifying bouts in the first place?". The AJFF uses qualifying bouts as only one criterion considered for selection, with performance in international events as another.
Political career
On May 10, 2010 the Democratic Party of JapanDemocratic Party of Japan
The is a political party in Japan founded in 1998 by the merger of several opposition parties. Its socially liberal platform is generally considered center-left in the Japanese political spectrum...
announced that Tani would represent the party as a proportional candidate
Proportional representation
Proportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...
in the Summer 2010 House of Councillors election
Japanese House of Councillors election, 2010
The for the upper house of the legislature of Japan were held on July 11, 2010. In the last election in 2007, the Liberal Democratic Party lost its majority to the Democratic Party of Japan , which managed to gain the largest margin since its formation in 1996. The House of Councillors is...
. Tani stated that she still intends to pursue her Judo career, but would like to help "build a nation everyone desires" as a member of the Upper House. Tani won the July 2010 election for the seat in question.
External links
- International Olympic Committee
- Videos of Ryoko Tani (judovision.org)