Word: pedro
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...Jimmy Pedro remembers vividly the first time he found himself second in a judo match, which is to say, the loser. "I didn't know how to deal with a loss; it was like someone shot me. I remember lying on the mat until my father came out and picked me off the floor." He was 11, but he had won a national junior-judo title every year since...
...Pedro never did get used to losing. He has been the top-ranked American judoka for the past decade, winning national titles five times. And last October he expanded his territory by claiming the world championship in the 73-kg (161-lb.) category. He is the U.S.'s best chance for a gold medal in Sydney, in a sport in which an American has never claimed the top prize...
...That's not at all surprising. Although judo has been part of the Olympics since 1964--nearly 200 countries participate worldwide--in the U.S. it often gets lost in the mishmash of martial-arts schools that teach everything from karate to karaoke. Pedro, 29, the son of a judo instructor, lives in Lawrence, Mass., and competes for the New York Athletic Club, but spends much of his time training in Europe and Japan. "The competition is there," he says. "In France they have 600,000 players actively competing. In the States we have maybe...
...Judo is a sport that requires explosive strength and general overall quickness, as well as a mastery of throws and kicks. Pedro's training is a combination of Olympic weight lifting, such as the clean and jerk, and 400-m sprints for endurance. To claim gold, he will have to win six matches...
...tough challenge, and Pedro knows that "you have to be a little lucky" to find yourself on your feet at the end of the day. But having learned about losing the hard way, he's likely to opt for the alternative...