John Ryan competed in the men’s open category judo at the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games – judo’s Olympic debut – finishing 5th overall, the best result ever achieved by an Irish judoka at the Olympic Games, and setting an Olympic record in the process when he threw Thomas Ong of the Philippines in just eight seconds with an inner-leg throw.

Born in Sligo and a London resident since 1950, Ryan was a member of the Great Britain team that won the European judo championships on three successive occasions. His selection was confirmed early to prevent him competing for Great Britain. He arrived in Tokyo in peak condition and was given the use of a private dojo at the Kodokan, Japan’s largest judo club, as well as the main dojo in Tokyo and the police dojo – exceptional preparation that reflected his international standing.

His opening contest against Australian Ted Boronovskis was lost despite Ryan’s dominance of the bout; he recovered with a straightforward win over Ali Hachicha of Tunisia. In the repechage, he threw Ong in eight seconds (an Olympic record), but was then thrown by the eventual silver medallist Akio Kaminaga of Japan, ending his medal hopes. His 5th place remains the benchmark for Irish Olympic judo.