Ryan Birch

Ryan Birch (5 April 1969[1] – 19 March 2013) was a British judoka, representing Great Britain in two Olympic Games.[2]

Ryan Birch
Personal information
NationalityBritish (English)
Born(1969-04-05)5 April 1969
Kingston upon Hull, England
Died19 March 2013(2013-03-19) (aged 43)
The Bahamas
OccupationJudoka
Sport
SportJudo
Weight classmiddleweight
half-middleweight
Medal record
Representing  Great Britain
European Championships
Gold medal – first place1994 Gdansk 78 kg
Bronze medal – third place1996 The Hague 86 kg
Profile at external databases
JudoInside.com2269

Biography

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 slected 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]

Achievements
YearTournamentPlaceWeight class
1999European Judo Championships 3rdMiddleweight (86 kg)
2000European Judo Championships 5thHalf middleweight (78 kg)
2001European Judo Championships 1stHalf middleweight (78 kg)

References
  1. "BJA Profiles" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 November 2011.
  2. 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.
  3. "British Championships - Event results". Judo Inside. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
  4. "Ryan Birch profile". Judo Inside. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
  5. "Ryan Birch profile". Judo Inside. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
  6. Ryan Birch's obituary


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