Jimmy Pedro

James A. Pedro (born October 30, 1970) is an American retired World Champion and Olympic judoka, 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 in judo. Pedro is currently a 7th degree Black Belt in judo, and also has a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Business Economics and Organizational Behavior & Management from Brown University, 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, 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. 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. 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)