12 Facts About Ryosuke Irie

Ryosuke Irie is a retired Japanese competitive swimmer who competes in backstroke events.

Ryosuke Irie was born in Osaka and started his actual swimming career in his junior high school years.

Ryosuke Irie loathed it so much that his mother had to carry a crying Irie to his coach at poolside.

When he first joined, Irie was one of the slowest swimmers in the elite Itoman Toshin swimming school in Suminoe Ward, Osaka.

Ryosuke Irie joined the school because his older brother, Shinpei Irie, who had won numerous national-level competitions, was in the program.

Ryosuke Irie reluctantly continued swimming only because his mother, Kumiko, promised she would ask the coach if he could quit a year after he joined the school.

Ryosuke Irie initially trained in freestyle, but began swimming the backstroke alone for long periods before and after practice.

Ryosuke Irie made new high school student record in Japanese national championships in April 2006.

Ryosuke Irie narrowly missed the entry for FINA World Aquatics Championships of that year.

Ryosuke Irie's time of 1:52.51 was a new Asian record, and the second fastest in the history of 200m backstroke.

Ryosuke Irie is credited with having the most graceful and effective backstroke technique in the world.

Ryosuke Irie has paid a lot of attention to achieving a perfect technique from a young age, which is why despite his small size in comparison to other world-class backstrokers, he can still attain great results.