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Story highlights
- Ryoko Tani regarded as the best female judoka ever
- Burst onto judo scene at the age of 15
- Retired in 2010
(CNN)She may stand at only 1.46 meters tall, but Japan's Ryoko Tani is widely considered to be the best female judoka of all time.
Bursting onto the scene aged 15 with a Fukuoka Cup victory against four-time world champion Karen Briggs, the Japanese star went on to dominate the extra-lightweight category (-48kg) for almost two decades.
Tani is the first female judoka in history to compete at five Olympic games and the only to walk away with a medal on every occasion.
She went a remarkable 12 years unbeaten at international level, winning every major competition she entered from the end of 1996 to 2008.
Not content with gold medals in seven World Championship and two Olympic games, the Japanese hotshot moved into politics upon her retirement from the sport in 2010.
Photos: A guide to judo
The first judo school dates back to 1882 in Tokyo. Traditionally a Japanese practice, it has gradually spread across the planet and established itself as one of the world's most popular combat sports.
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Photos: A guide to judo
Literally meaning "gentle way," judo techniques harness an opponent's force to your own advantage by throwing and pinning them to the ground.
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Photos: A guide to judo
Judo was first seen at the Olympics in Tokyo in 1964, and a women's competition was added at the Barcelona Games in 1992.
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Photos: A guide to judo
No judoka has more world championships titles than Teddy Riner. The Frenchman has won eight gold medals, predominantly in the heavyweight category, and will be hoping to add to his tally having secured gold at the Rio Olympics last year.
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Photos: A guide to judo
"It is a sport that demands an irreproachable lifestyle," Riner tells CNN, "a sport that demands rigor."
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Photos: A guide to judo
On the women's side, Ryoko Tani's record stands out. The Japanese Judoka has seven world titles, and upon her retirement was hailed as the "best female judoka ever."
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Photos: A guide to judo
Majlinda Kelmendi tears up after being crowned Kosovo's first ever gold medalist at the Rio Olympics in the women's 52 kg weight category.
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Photos: A guide to judo
At 218 kilos, judoka Ricardo Blas Jr. (seen here on the right competing at London 2012) is the world's heaviest Olympian.
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Photos: A guide to judo
Russian President Vladimir Putin is a judo master, denoted by wearing a black belt.
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Early beginnings
Japan may be the traditional heartland of judo, but that hasn't always been the case for women.
As a young girl, Tani had to overcome the resistance of her mother, who would have preferred her to take lessons in something "more fitting" such as tennis or the piano.
Her determination certainly paid off.
When women's judo made its official Olympic bow at Barcelona 1992 -- 28 years after the men's competition -- Tani thrilled crowds on the way to reaching the final aged just 16, only going down to French World Champion Cecile Nowak.
The young star promptly won her first World Championship gold the following year in Canada, a feat she repeated on home soil in 1995.
Tani only needed 36 seconds to win the Sydney 2000 Olympic final, beating Russia's Lyubov Bruletova by ippon.
The stars were aligned for her to become Japan's first ever women's Olympic gold medalist at Atlanta 1996, but Tani once again had to be content with silver, this time losing to Kye Sun-hui of North Korea.
She responded to that defeat in some style, sweeping aside all before her at every major Championship -- held biennially -- for over a decade.
What's your favorite memory of Ryoko Tani? Have your say on CNN Sport's Facebook page or on Twitter using the hashtag #CNNJudo
Nicknamed "Yawara-chan" in Japan because of her resemblance to a character in a popular judo manga series, Tani is now a nationwide celebrity and worldwide judo icon.
She was named the best female judoka ever by the International Judo Federation in a 2012 celebration of the governing body's 60th anniversary.
