Jimmy Pedro

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 American ever to win an Olympic gold medal in judo.[2]

Jimmy Pedro
Personal information
Birth nameJames A. Pedro
Nickname(s)Peanuts
NationalityUnited States American
Born (1970-10-30) October 30, 1970
Danvers, Massachusetts, U.S.
Home townMethuen, Massachusetts, U.S.
Alma materBrown University
OccupationJudo Instructor
Height5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Spouse(s)Marie Pedro
Websitewww.jimmypedro.com
Sport
CountryUnited States
SportJudo
Rank     7th dan black belt
ClubNYAC
Coached byJim Pedro
Now coachingPedro’s Judo Center in Wakefield, Massachusetts
Achievements and titles
World Champ.Gold (1999)
Pan American Champ. (1992, 1997, 1998,
( 2004)
Olympic GamesBronze (1996, 2004)
Medal record
Men's judo
Representing  United States
Olympic Games
Bronze medal – third place 1996 Atlanta ‍–‍71 kg
Bronze medal – third place 2004 Athens ‍–‍73 kg
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 1999 Birmingham ‍–‍73 kg
Bronze medal – third place 1991 Barcelona ‍–‍65 kg
Bronze medal – third place 1995 Chiba ‍–‍71 kg
Pan American Games
Gold medal – first place 1995 Mara del Plata ‍–‍71 kg
Gold medal – first place 1999 Winnipeg ‍–‍73 kg
Bronze medal – third place 1991 Havana ‍–‍65 kg
Pan American Championships
Gold medal – first place 1992 Ontario ‍–‍65 kg
Gold medal – first place 1997 Guadalajara ‍–‍71 kg
Gold medal – first place 1998 Santo Domingo ‍–‍73 kg
Gold medal – first place 2004 Isla Margarita ‍–‍73 kg
Silver medal – second place 1988 Buenos Aires ‍–‍60 kg
Bronze medal – third place 1990 Caracas ‍–‍65 kg
World Juniors Championships
Bronze medal – third place 1990 Dijon ‍–‍65 kg
Pan American Junior Championships
Gold medal – first place 1989 Quito ‍–‍65 kg
Profile at external databases
IJF590
JudoInside.com3588
Updated on 30 May 2023.

Early life and education

Pedro was born on October 30, 1970 in Danvers, Massachusetts. He was trained by his father James Pedro Sr., a 1976 Olympic Alternate.[2] 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.[3]

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.[3]

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, 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

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.[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

Personal life

Pedro is married and the father of four children.

Notable students

References
  1. 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.
  2. Bill Burt. "Jimmy Pedro and his dad: Guardians at USA Judo gate". Newburyportnews.com. Retrieved 2016-08-18.
  3. "Jimmy Pedro page". Usadojo.com. Archived from the original on 6 May 2015. Retrieved 14 May 2015.

Published works
  • Judo Techniques and Tactics, Jimmy Pedro and William Durbin. ISBN 0-7360-0343-6
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