Quick Facts
Biography
James "Jimmy" A. Pedro is a retired American judo competitor who won multiple World Championships and multiple bronze medals in the Olympics and World Championships. He was born October 30, 1970 in his hometown of Danvers, Massachusetts, and was trained by his father James Pedro, a 1976 Olympic Alternate. He is a Shichidan (7th degree Black Belt), and also has a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Business Economics and OBM from Brown University. 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, 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, 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
Life outside competing
Pedro retired from competitive judo after the 2004 Olympics. In recent years he has worked for Monster.com, promoted a brand of tatami and FUJI (mats) used for judo and jujutsu practice and competition, and been the subject of a biographical movie. Jimmy is world-renowned for his judo expertise, coaching ability, and training methods. A newaza (ground techniques) specialist, Jimmy currently owns and operates Pedro's Judo Center in Wakefield, MA and teaches clinics and seminars throughout the country. Pedro also coached the 2012 U.S. Olympic Judo team at the Games in London, and is preparing the team for upcoming Games in Brazil. He is also 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. He is the married father of four children.
Notable Individuals Coached
Kayla Harrison (2x Olympic Champion) Travis Stevens (3x Olympian and 2016 Olympic Silver medalist) Ronda Rousey (2008 Olympic Bronze Medalist and former UFC Champion) Aaron Kunihiro (Multi-time world team member) Hana Carmichael (Multi-time world team member) Radu Brestyan (Multi-time national and international medalist) Rick Hawn (Olympian and Bellator Tournament Champion) Janine Nakao (Pan American Silver Medalist) Christopher Round (Junior National Champion and Writer)
Other sources
- Judo techniques and tactics is a textbook on judo written by Jimmy Pedro and William Durbin. ISBN 0-7360-0343-6
- Fury on the mat is a biographical movie about Jimmy Pedro.