(Learn how and when to remove this template message)
James A. Pedro (born October 30, 1970) is an American retired World Championship and Olympic judoka and current judo coach.[1]
Pedro currently holds a 7th degree black belt in judo. He is the coach of Kayla Harrison, the first and currently only American to win an Olympic gold medal in judo.[2]
Pedro was the World Champion at 73 kg in 1999 after defeating Vitaly Makarov of Russia in the final, 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.[3]
National honorsedit
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 the 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 medalsedit
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, US
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, US
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, US
90 & 89 US Open (65 kg) - Colorado Springs, CO, US
90 Tre Torri (65 kg) - Porto Sant'Elpidio, Italy
Silver major international medalsedit
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, US
Bronze major international medalsedit
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, US
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, US
91 Pan Am Games (65 kg) - Havana, Cuba
91 World Championships (65 kg) - Barcelona, Spain
91 Pacific Rim Championships (65 kg) - Honolulu, HI, US
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 eventsedit
00 Olympic Games (73 kg) - Sydney, Australia
94 Kano Cup (71 kg) - Tokyo, Japan
93 World Championships (65 kg) - Hamilton, Canada
Post-competition careeredit
Pedro retired from competitive judo after the 2004 Olympics. He has worked for Monster.com, promoted a brand of tatami training mats used for judo and jujutsu practice and competition, and been the subject of a biographical movie. A newaza (ground techniques) specialist, Jimmy currently owns and operates Pedro's Judo Center in Wakefield, Massachusetts, and teaches clinics and seminars throughout the country. Pedro also coached the U.S. Olympic Judo team at the 2012 Olympics in London. He is the national sales executive for FUJI Mats + Facility Design.[3] He is Kayla Harrison's coach. Harrison was the first American to win an Olympic gold medal in judo.[2]Fury on the mat is a biographical movie about Jimmy Pedro. Pedro currently owns and operates the renowned Mat and Outfitting company, www.FujiMats.com and sister company www.fujisports.com
^Cerullo, Mac. "BUILDING CHAMPIONS: Going into second Olympics as U.S. Judo's head coach, Methuen's Jimmy Pedro has high hopes for Rio". Retrieved 26 May 2018.
^ abcBill Burt. "Jimmy Pedro and his dad: Guardians at USA Judo gate". Newburyportnews.com. Retrieved 2016-08-18.
^ abc"Jimmy Pedro page". Usadojo.com. Archived from the original on 6 May 2015. Retrieved 14 May 2015.
Published worksedit
Judo Techniques and Tactics, Jimmy Pedro and William Durbin. ISBN 0-7360-0343-6