James A. Pedro (born October 30, 1970) is an American retired World Champion and Olympic
judoka
is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, combat sport, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyc ...
, as well as a current judo coach.
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
Olympic or Olympics may refer to
Sports
Competitions
* Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896
** Summer Olympic Games
** Winter Olympic Games
* Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece bet ...
in judo.
Early life and education
Pedro was born on October 30, 1970, in
Danvers, Massachusetts
Danvers is a New England town, town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, located on the Danvers River near the northeastern coast of Massachusetts. The suburb is a fairly short ride from Boston and is also in close proximity to the beach ...
. He was trained by his father
James Pedro Sr., a 1976 Olympic Alternate.
Pedro is currently a 7th degree Black Belt in judo, and also has a
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...
(
BA) in Business Economics and Organizational Behavior & Management from
Brown University
Brown University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. It is the List of colonial colleges, seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the US, founded in 1764 as the ' ...
, whom he also wrestled for. 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 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
The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international Olympic sports, sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a Multi-s ...
, 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 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 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, 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 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, US
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, 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 events
* 00 Olympic Games (73 kg) - Sydney, Australia
* 94 Kano Cup (71 kg) - Tokyo, Japan
* 93 World Championships (65 kg) - Hamilton, Canada
Post-competition career
Pedro retired from competitive judo after the
2004 Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad (), and officially branded as Athens 2004 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 13 to 29 August 2004 in Athens, Greece.
The Games saw 10,625 athletes ...
. He has worked for Monster.com, promoted a brand of
tatami
are soft mats used as flooring material in traditional Japanese-style rooms. They are made in standard sizes, twice as long as wide, about , depending on the region. In martial arts, tatami are used for training in a dojo and for competition.
...
training mats used for judo and
jujutsu
Jujutsu ( , or ), also known as jiu-jitsu and ju-jitsu (both ), is a Japanese martial art and a system of close combat that can be used in a defensive or offensive manner to kill or subdue one or more weaponless or armed and armored opponent ...
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
Wakefield is a New England town, town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston, greater Boston metropolitan area, municipal corporation, incorporated in 1812 in the United States, 1812 and located about north-nor ...
, 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.
He is
Kayla Harrison's coach. Harrison was the first American to win an
Olympic gold medal in judo.
''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
Personal life
Pedro is married and the father of four children.
Notable students
*
Kayla Harrison (2x Olympic Champion and current UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion)
*
Travis Stevens (3x Olympian and 2016 Olympic Silver medalist)
*
Ronda Rousey (2008 Olympic Bronze Medalist and former UFC Champion)
*
Rick Hawn (Olympian and Bellator Tournament Champion)
*
Janine Nakao (Pan American Silver Medalist)
*
Taraje Williams-Murray (2x Olympian)
*
Theresa Roche ('Credits Unknown' Assumed ranked 2nd Nationally 1988)
References
Published works
* ''Judo Techniques and Tactics'', Jimmy Pedro and William Durbin.
External links
*
*
*
*
Pedro's Judo Center* https://www.publico.pt/2016/08/10/desporto/noticia/os-portugueses-que-mandam-no-judo-americano-1740822
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pedro, Jimmy
1970 births
Living people
American male judoka
Olympic judoka for the United States
Olympic bronze medalists for the United States in judo
Judoka at the 1992 Summer Olympics
Judoka at the 1996 Summer Olympics
Judoka at the 2000 Summer Olympics
Judoka at the 2004 Summer Olympics
Sportspeople from Methuen, Massachusetts
World judo champions
Medalists at the 2004 Summer Olympics
Medalists at the 1996 Summer Olympics
Brown Bears athletes
Competitors at the 1990 Goodwill Games
Competitors at the 1994 Goodwill Games
Goodwill Games medalists in judo
Judoka at the 1991 Pan American Games
Judoka at the 1995 Pan American Games
Judoka at the 1999 Pan American Games
Medalists at the 1991 Pan American Games
Medalists at the 1995 Pan American Games
Medalists at the 1999 Pan American Games
Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States in judo
Pan American Games bronze medalists for the United States in judo
Sportspeople from Danvers, Massachusetts
American people of Portuguese descent
21st-century American sportsmen
20th-century American sportsmen