Despite having her left ankle heavily strapped just to get in the circle, Ryan concentrated on putting everything into her first throw.
That tactic, advised by physio Morag Obarska, paid off handsomely with her effort landing 40.32 metres away and eventually earning second spot.
It might even have been gold had it not been for a record-breaking display from close Hampshire rival Amy Church of the Isle of Wight, who comes from the same ‘stable’ as Andy Frost, the AAA s champion.
Said a beaming Ryan, a former Beaulieu and Bath University student: ‘Morag said I’d have to nail it on my first throw and she was right.
I just went through the motions for the remainder of the competition.’ Indeed, the only thing of particular note she did after that was to scare JEP photographer David Ferguson with a wayward throw, but the Jersey coach Andrew Winnie was in no doubt that it was a well-earned medal.
‘I’ve been unlucky with injuries,’ said the 24-year-old who picked up this particular injury a the end of June and who has been struggling to get anywhere near her best distance of 42 metres, ‘but I’m happy with the silver.’ Church won gold by twice breaking the Island Games record, which now stands at 45.05m.
The rest of the evening, however, belonged to Guernsey, who won title after title in a surge that took them past Jersey and the Isle of Man to the top of the overall medal table.
Natalie Warner reached the final of the 400m but, drawn in lane one, she was never in contention for a medal, clocking 1.01.53 in a race won by Guernsey’s Kimberly Gleeson in 58.32.
Guernsey were also the victors in the men’s long jump with their international star, Dale Garland, leaping 7.44m to deny Sawa Diakonikolas of Rhodes (7.30m) and Erik Larsson of Gotland (7.12).
Jersey’s Paul Dingle (6.41m) and Simon Phelan (6.37m) failed to make the final cut in a high-standard competition, finishing ninth and 11th respectively in terrible conditions for long jumping.
Sophie Twinam entered the ladies’ high jump and finished seventh with a best height of 1.50m.
The Sarnians won gold through Erica Bodmon (1.63m) , with our sister isle emphasising their middle-distance prowess with victories for Lee Merrien in the 5,000 and Tom Druce in the 800m.
There was more CI success of a kind when Shetland’s Claire Wilson, who runs for the CI Athletic Club, won the ladies’ 1,500m.
