Jimmy Pedro

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Olympic medal record
Men's judo
Competitor for  United States
Olympic Games
Bronze	1996 Atlanta	-71 kg
Bronze	2004 Athens	-73 kg
World Championships
Bronze	1991 Barcelona	-65 kg
Bronze	1995 Chiba	-71 kg
Gold	1999 Birmingham	-73 kg

James "Jimmy" Pedro (born October 30, 1970 in Danvers, Massachusetts) is one of the most successful American judo competitors ever, having won two bronze medals in the Olympics.

Pedro was the World Champion at 73 kg in 1999. He 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. The United States has not traditionally been strong in judo, and a bronze medal in Olympic judo is an enormous accomplishment for an American athlete. His entry in the "Legends" section of a major judo magazine's web site lists 29 gold medals in international competition alone.

Pedro retired from competitive judo after the 2004 Olympics. In recent years he has worked for Monster.com, promoted a brand of tatami and zebra (mats) used for judo and jujutsu practice and competition, and been the subject of a biographical movie.

He coaches and teaches in Wakefield, Massachusetts. He is the married father of four children.

[edit] 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.

[edit] External links

1. Jimmy Pedro's entry in the Real Judo "Legends" list
2. Jimmy Pedro's Homepage
3. Pedro's Judo Center Homepage