| Medal record | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Competitor for  Japan |
|||
| Women's Judo | |||
| Olympic Games | |||
| Silver | 1992 Barcelona | - 48kg | |
| Silver | 1996 Atlanta | - 48kg | |
| Gold | 2000 Sydney | - 48kg | |
| Gold | 2004 Athens | - 48kg | |
| World Championships | |||
| Bronze | 1991 Barcelona | -48 kg | |
| Gold | 1993 Hamilton | -48 kg | |
| Gold | 1995 Tokyo | -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 | |
| Asian Games | |||
| Gold | 1994 Hiroshima | -48 kg | |
| Asian Championships | |||
| Bronze | 1991 Osaka | -48 kg | |
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. 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 seven 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 then with the Orix Blue Wave. The reception reportedly cost $3 million. Tani has been very popular in Japan. The Ryoko characters from the World Heroes and Fighter's History fighting video games series are both 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 Olympic Games, but it will depend on her results in tournaments such as the 2007 All-Japan Olympic qualifier or the Rio de Janeiro qualifier.
