This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page . (Learn how and when to remove these template messages)
|
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 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]
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]
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
Pedro is married and the father of four children.
Michael Lee Swain is one of the most successful American judoka. He competed in countless international competitions. He is now the VP of Martial Arts at Dollamur, Sports LP where he develops and sells Martial Arts equipment and continues to be a spokesperson and board member for USA Judo.
Jason Newth Morris is an American retired judoka. He was a four-time Olympian and 2008 Olympic Coach, best known for winning the silver medal in the –78 kg weight category in the 1992 Summer Olympics and a Bronze Medal in the 1993 World Judo Championships. He is a Hachidan his favorite techniques are Uchi Mata, Tai Otoshi, and his "Sticker or Sticky Foot". He was also an NCAA Division I All-American wrestler and 2x EIWA conference champion at Syracuse University.
Vitaly Valeryevich Makarov is a Russian judoka who competed in the men's lightweight category. He was a 2004 Olympic silver medalist, 2001 World Champion, and earned medals in several other international tournaments. He was a 1994 World Junior Champion and has been a coach on the Russian national judo team.
Jeon Ki-young is a retired judoka who competed in the –78 kg and –86 kg divisions.
Ezio Gamba is a retired judoka from Italy, who represented his native country at four consecutive Olympic Games. Gamba claimed the gold medal in the men's lightweight division (–71 kg) in 1980 by defeating Great Britain's Neil Adams.
Josef Věnsek is a Czech judoka. He competed in the men's lightweight event at the 1992 Summer Olympics.
Kim Jae-bum (김재범) is a retired South Korean judoka. Despite being plagued with injuries throughout his career, Kim is known for dominating major competitions at the half-middleweight category (81kg)—particularly between his Olympic debut in 2008 and his 2012 Olympic finals rematch against Ole Bischof.
Frank Wieneke is a German judoka and olympic champion. He won a gold medal in the half middleweight division at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. He is a member of Germany's Sports Hall of Fame.
Patrick Mitsugi Burris is a retired competitive judoka who represented the United States at the 1972 Summer Olympic Games in Munich and the 1976 Summer Olympic Games in Montreal. He won the bronze medal at the 1975 Pan American Games in Mexico City in the men's lightweight division at 70 kg. Burris is a five time US national senior AAU champion, including an unprecedented four straight championships. He was named 1976 US national Grand Champion – the lightest Grand Champion ever.
Clarissa Kyoko Mei Ling Chun (陳美玲) is the head coach of the Iowa Hawkeyes Women's wrestling program, formerly, the USA Wrestling assistant National coach and an American Olympic women's freestyle 48 kg (105.5 lbs) wrestler. Chun was the first female wrestler from Hawaii to win a medal at the Olympics. She was inducted into the 2018 Hawaii Sports Hall of Fame and 2022 National Wrestling Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Member.
Yalennis Castillo Ramírez is a Cuban judoka. She was born in Moa, Holguín, Cuba on 21 May 1986. She practiced judo since she was a child.
Kayla Harrison is an American professional mixed martial artist and multiple Olympic gold medalist and world champion judoka. She currently competes in the Women’s Bantamweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of April 16, 2024, she is #4 in the UFC women's bantamweight rankings and #13 in the UFC women's pound-for-pound rankings.
Mayra Aguiar da Silva is a Brazilian judoka. She was a bronze medallist in three consecutive Olympics, 2012, 2016 and 2020. She is also three-time world champion. She is the first Brazilian woman to win three Olympic medals in an individual sport.
Idalys Ortiz Bocourt is a Cuban judoka. She competed in the over 78 kg division at the 2008, 2012 and 2016 Olympics and won a medal on each occasion. She won the silver medal in the women's +78 kg event at the 2020 Summer Olympics held in Tokyo, Japan.
Eve Aronoff-Trivella is a former Olympic judoka from the United States.
Sagi Aharon Muki is an Israeli half-middleweight judoka. Muki is the 2019 World Champion. He also won the 2015 and 2018 European championships.
Sandy Bacher is a former freestyle wrestler and Olympic level judo competitor.
Kayla Miracle is an American wrestler competing through Campbellsville University, Kentucky. She is currently majoring in Sports Management.
Nils Stump is a Swiss judoka. He won the gold medal in the men's 73 kg event at the 2023 World Judo Championships held in Doha, Qatar. He is a bronze medalist at the 2021 European Judo Championships held in Lisbon, Portugal. He also competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.