Ryan_Birch
Ryan Birch
British judoka (1969–2013)
Ryan Birch (5 April 1969[1] – 19 March 2013) was a British judoka, representing Great Britain in two Olympic Games.[2]
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nationality | British (English) | ||||||||||||||
| Born | (1969-04-05)5 April 1969 Kingston upon Hull, England | ||||||||||||||
| Died | 19 March 2013(2013-03-19) (aged 43) The Bahamas | ||||||||||||||
| Occupation | Judoka | ||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||
| Sport | Judo | ||||||||||||||
| Weight class | middleweight half-middleweight | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
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| Profile at external databases | |||||||||||||||
| JudoInside.com | 2269 | ||||||||||||||
Birch was born in Kingston upon Hull. In 1991, he won the first of his two championships of Great Britain, winning the half-middleweight division at the British Judo Championships.[3] The following year he was selected by Great Britain for the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, where he competed in the men's 78 kg event.[4]
In 1994, he won the gold medal at the 1994 European Judo Championships in Gdańsk, Poland.[5] In 1996, he was selected to represent Great Briatin at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, where he competed in the men's 86 kg event.[4]
In 1998, he became a champion of Great Britain for the second time after winning the title at the heavier weight class of middleweight.[3]
He married Rowena Sweatman (who also won the European judo gold medal in 1994) and had two children. On retiring from sport, he went on to become a pilot.He was killed in a road accident in The Bahamas.[6]
| Year | Tournament | Place | Weight class |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | European Judo Championships | 3rd | Middleweight (86 kg) |
| 2000 | European Judo Championships | 5th | Half middleweight (78 kg) |
| 2001 | European Judo Championships | 1st | Half middleweight (78 kg) |
- "BJA Profiles" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 November 2011.
- Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Ryan Birch Olympic Results". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
- "British Championships - Event results". Judo Inside. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
- "Ryan Birch profile". Judo Inside. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
- "Ryan Birch profile". Judo Inside. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
- Ryan Birch at JudoInside.com
- Ryan Birch at Olympedia
- Ryan Birch at Team GB
- Ryan Birch's obituary
- The British Judo Association Reports[permanent dead link]
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