BIOGRAPHY 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 [...]

BIOGRAPHY Dave McManus competed in the men's judo at the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games, losing his opening bout to eventual silver medallist Juan Ferrer of Cuba before also losing his repechage match - finishing 9th overall, a creditable placing that reflected well on the quality of his preparation. McManus and Alonzo Henderson were both chosen [...]

BIOGRAPHY Alonzo Henderson finished 5th at the 1979 World Judo Championships - the best result ever achieved by an Irish judoka at a World Championship to that point - and competed at the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games, where he suffered a surprise defeat to Niokhor Diongue of Senegal in what Dr Tom Hunt describes as [...]

BIOGRAPHY Eugene McManus competed in the men's judo at the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games, losing his opening contest to Hugo d'Assuncão of Portugal - a bout that concluded without score or penalties to either competitor, with the judges and referee awarding the verdict on a superiority basis to the more aggressive Portuguese athlete. McManus qualified [...]

BIOGRAPHY Sean Sullivan competed in the men's extra-lightweight (60kg) judo at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games. From the Lower Falls area of Belfast, Sullivan was a member of St Peter's Judo Club and by profession a coach-builder. He had competed in three World Championships and six European Championships in a distinguished international career. Sullivan's Atlanta [...]

BIOGRAPHY Kieran Foley competed in the men's lightweight (71kg) judo at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games. Finishing 7th overall of 30 competitors in a creditable performance that included wins over a Salvadoran opponent and a hard-fought contest with the Japanese world champion before elimination. A second Dan black belt, Foley was the only Irish [...]

BIOGRAPHY Keith Gough competed in the men's extra-lightweight (-60kg) judo at the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games, becoming Ireland's most successful judoka in terms of fights won at those Games - winning two bouts before being eliminated in the repechage. A native of Coolock, Dublin, Gough joined the Daigokan Judo Club in Killester as a ten-year-old [...]

BIOGRAPHY Ciaran Ward competed in the men's half-lightweight (-65kg) judo at the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games, winning his opening bout against Matti Korhonen of Finland before losing on a split decision to Stefan Ćuk of Slovenia. From a Belfast family steeped in GAA tradition, Ward became involved in judo as a six-year-old when his father [...]

BIOGRAPHY Lisa Kearney represented Ireland in the women's under-48 kilogram judo event at the 2012 London Olympic Games, becoming the first Irish woman to compete in Olympic judo. Born and raised in Belfast, Kearney began judo at primary school to join her friends at the Yamakwai Judo Club, where she trained throughout her career under [...]

BIOGRAPHY Paddy Murphy competed in the men's half-heavyweight (-93kg) judo at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games, finishing 19th - losing a split decision to a Polish judoka despite a preparation that was among the most dedicated undertaken by any Irish athlete at those Games. Born in Ringsend, Dublin, and based in Ballyfermot as a blacksmith, [...]

BIOGRAPHY Liam Carroll competed in the men's half-middleweight (-70kg) judo at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games as one of Ireland's five pioneering judoka, losing his opening bout to Patrick Vial of France. From Drimnagh, Dublin, and working as a butcher in Dolphin's Barn at the time of his selection, Carroll had been introduced to judo [...]

BIOGRAPHY Anto Clarke competed in the men's lightweight judo at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games as one of Ireland's five pioneering judoka - the first time Ireland had ever entered the sport at the Olympics, finishing 13th. A native of Ballyfermot, Dublin, and one of the most technically competent practitioners of the sport at the [...]

BIOGRAPHY Terry Watt was Derry's first judo black belt holder, the city's first judo international and the first judoka from Northern Ireland to represent Great Britain - and competed in the men's judo at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games as one of Ireland's five pioneering judoka, the first time Ireland had entered the sport at [...]

BIOGRAPHY Matt Folan competed in the heavyweight division and the open category of the men's judo at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games. A Dublin man of Connemara heritage, Folan began practising judo in Dublin in 1959 before embarking on a career as a radio officer with the Greek Merchant Navy from 1959 to 1969, maintaining [...]

BIOGRAPHY Megan Fletcher represented Ireland in the women's under-70kg judo event at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, becoming only the second woman to represent Ireland in Olympic judo after Lisa Kearney at London 2012. She finished fifth overall, losing a dramatic repechage bout to Austria's Michaela Polleres when Polleres landed a waza-ari score with just [...]

BIOGRAPHY Benjamin Fletcher represented Ireland in the men's -100kg judo event at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, where he made the round of 32. He had previously represented Great Britain at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, finishing 17th. Fletcher qualifies for Ireland through his mother Alma, who is from Bruff, Co. Limerick, and he switched [...]