Jimmy Pedro

Jimmy Pedro
Born	James A. Pedro (1970-10-30) October 30, 1970 Danvers, Massachusetts
Residence	Methuen, Massachusetts
Nationality	American
Height	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Weight	160 lb (73 kg; 11 st)
Style	Judo
Teacher(s)	Jim Pedro
Rank	6th degree black belt in Judo
Occupation	Judo Instructor
University	Brown University
Spouse	Marie Pedro
Children	4
Notable club(s)	NYAC/Pedro’s Judo Center
Notable school(s)	NYAC/Pedro’s Judo Center
Website	http://www.jimmypedro.com/
Medal record Jimmy Pedro Medal record Men's Judo Representing the United States Olympic Games 1996 Atlanta -71 kg 2004 Athens -73 kg World Championships 1991 Barcelona -65 kg 1995 Chiba -71 kg 1999 Birmingham -73 kg

James ("Jimmy") A. Pedro is a retired American judo competitor who won multiple World Championships and multiple bronze medals in the Olympics and World Championships. He was born October 30, 1970 in his hometown of Danvers, Massachusetts, and was trained by his father James Pedro, a 1976 Olympic Alternate. He is a Rokudan (6th degree Black Belt), and also has a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Business Economics and OBM from Brown University. His favorite judo technique is Sode Tsuri Komi Goshi, and his most effective is Juji Gatame.

Achievements

Pedro was the World Champion at 73 kg in 1999, and also won bronze medals in the 1991 and 1995 World Championships. Pedro represented the United States in the 1992, 1996, 2000, and 2004 Olympic Games, winning bronze in 1996 and 2004. His entry in the "Legends" section of a major judo magazine's web site lists 29 gold medals in international competition.

National honors

• 04, 03, 00 & 99 Real Judo Magazine "Player of the Year"
• 04 New York Athletic Club Hall of Fame
• 04 Brown University Hall of Fame
• 97 New York Athletic Club "Athlete of he Year"
• 97 Black Belt Hall of Fame
• 10x USJA Jr. National Champion
• 6x US National Champion (89, 91, 93, 94, 99, 03)
• 3x High School National Champion (86, 87, 88)

Gold major international medals

• 04 & 00 German Team Championships (73 kg Member of TSV Abensberg)
• 04 & 03 New York Open (73 kg) - Manhattan, NY
• 04 Pan Am Championships (73 kg) - Margarita Island, Venezuela
• 03 Korean Open (73 kg) - Yongin University, Korea
• 03 Rendez Vous Canada (73 kg) - Montreal, QC
• 03 Tre Torri (73 kg) - Porto Sant'Elpidio, Italy
• 03 Puerto Rico Open (73 kg) - Salinas, Puerto Rico
• 03 British Open (73 kg) - London, England
• 00 Europa Cup Team Championships (73 kg Member of TSV Abensberg)
• 99 World Championships (73 kg) - Birmingham, England
• 99 Pan Am Games (73 kg) - Winnipeg, Canada
• 98 US Open (73 kg) - Colorado Springs, CO, USA
• 98 Pan Am Championships (73 kg) - Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
• 98 French Open (73 kg) - Paris, France
• 98 Austrian Open (73 kg) - Leonding, Austria
• 98 Shoriki Cup (73 kg) - Tokyo, Japan
• 97 & 95 German Open (71 kg) - Munich, Germany
• 97 Pan Am Championships (71 kg) - Guadalajara, Mexico
• 95 US Open (71 kg) - Macon, GA, USA
• 95 Pan Am Games (71 kg) - Mar de Plata, Argentina
• 93 Pacific Rim Championships (65 kg) - Auckland, New Zealand
• 92 Guido Sieni (65 kg) - Sassari, Italy
• 92 Pan Am Championships (65 kg) - Santiago, Chile
• 92 US Open (71 kg) - Colorado Springs, CO, USA
• 90 & 89 US Open (65 kg) - Colorado Springs, CO, USA
• 90 Tre Torri (65 kg) - Porto Sant'Elpidio, Italy

Silver major international medals

• 04 Hungarian Open (73 kg) - Budapest, Hungary
• 04 German Open (73 kg) - Hamburg, Germany
• 03 US Open (73 kg) - Las Vegas, NV
• 93 Korean Open (65 kg) - Seoul, Korea
• 93 French Open (63 kg) - Paris, France
• 92 Hungarian Open (65 kg) - Budapest, Hungary
• 90 Goodwill Games (65 kg) - Seattle, WA, USA

Bronze major international medals

• 04 Olympic Games (73 kg) - Athens, Greece
• 99 Kano Cup (73 kg) - Tokyo, Japan
• 98 German Open (73 kg) - Munich, Germany
• 97 Austrian Open (71 kg) - Leonding, Austria
• 96 French Open (71 kg) - Paris, France
• 96 Olympic Games (73 kg) - Atlanta, GA, USA
• 95 World Championships (71 kg) - Makuhari, Japan
• 95 Pacific Rim Championships (71 kg) - Sydney, Australia
• 94 Goodwill Games (71 kg) - St. Petersburg, Russia
• 92 French Open (65 kg) - Paris, France
• 92 German Open (65 kg) - Munich, Germany
• 91 US Open (65 kg) - Colorado Springs, CO, USA
• 91 Pan Am Games (65 kg) - Havana, Cuba
• 91 World Championships (65 kg) - Barcelona, Spain
• 91 Pacific Rim Championships (65 kg) - Honolulu, HI, USA
• 90 Jr. World Championships (65 kg) - Dijon, France
• 90 Tblissi International (65 kg) - Tblissi, Georgia
• 88 Shoriki Cup (65 kg) - Tokyo, Japan

5th place in major international events

• 00 Olympic Games (73 kg) - Sydney, Australia
• 94 Kano Cup (71 kg) - Tokyo, Japan
• 93 World Championships (65 kg) - Hamilton, Canada

Life outside competing

Pedro retired from competitive judo after the 2004 Olympics. In recent years he has worked for Monster.com, promoted a brand of tatami and FUJI (mats) used for judo and jujutsu practice and competition, and been the subject of a biographical movie. Jimmy is world-renowned for his judo expertise, coaching ability, and training methods. A newaza (ground techniques) specialist, Jimmy currently owns and operates Pedro's Judo Center in Wakefield, MA and teaches clinics and seminars throughout the country. Pedro also coached the 2012 U.S. Olympic Judo team at the Games in London, and is preparing the team for upcoming Games in Brazil. He is also the national sales executive for FUJI Mats + Facility Design. He is Kayla Harrison's coach. Harrison was the first American to win an Olympic gold medal in judo. He is the married father of four children.

References

1. Judo techniques and tactics is a textbook on judo written by Jimmy Pedro and William Durbin. ISBN 0-7360-0343-6
2. Fury on the mat is a biographical movie about Jimmy Pedro.

External links

1. Jimmy Pedro's entry in the Real Judo "Legends" list
2. Jimmy Pedro's Homepage
3. Pedro's Judo Center Homepage
4. sports-reference
5. Results at JudoInside.com