Ryosuke Irie

Ryosuke Irie is a Japanese retired competitive swimmer, born on 24 January 1990 in Osaka, who competed in backstroke events. At the 2012 Summer Olympics he won a silver medal in the 200 metre backstroke, a bronze in the 100 metre backstroke and a silver in the men's 4 by 100 m medley relay with the Japanese team. His backstroke technique was often compared to that of Roland Matthes, who was described as the Rolls-Royce of swimming. He began as a reluctant swimmer at the Itoman Toshin swimming school in Osaka, where his older brother Shinpei Irie also trained, and won the national high school 200 metre backstroke title as a first year student in 2005.