Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Judo coach Jimmy Pedro tells Globe that despite lower profile of judo, Harrison could still earn low six figures in endorsements.
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Tuesday, August 14, 2012
With the 2012 Olympics now wrapped up, many gold-winning athletes are naturally looking at what kind of earning potential their newfound prominence can bring. A Boston.com article on Tuesday noted that area gold medal gymnast Aly Raisman is likely to draw a considerable payday in the form of likely national endorsements in the coming months. For judo gold medalist Kayla Harrison of Wakefield however, the earnings potential is likely nowhere near as high because her sport is less known and does not receive near the same TV ratings as Olympic gymnastics. The Globe article quoted Harrison’s coach, Jimmy Pedro of Wakefield, as suggesting that she could still potentially earn somewhere between $100,000 and $250,000 in endorsements, and that …
Harrison won first U.S. gold medal in judo this month at 2012 Olympics.
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Tuesday, August 14, 2012
The following is an announcement from O.C. Tanner: U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Team ring designer and donor O.C. Tanner today announced judo athlete Kayla Harrison as the first of three winners of the O.C. Tanner Inspiration Award. Following her performance at the London 2012 Olympic Games, Harrison will present her mentor and coach, Jimmy "Big Jim" Pedro Sr., with a 14k gold commemorative Olympic ring to honor and thank him for inspiring her Olympic journey. O.C. Tanner, with support from the United States Olympic Committee, selected Harrison's story from more than 20 U.S. Olympic athlete tributes submitted for the award. "No matter how many times I've lost, given up or felt like my world was over, he [Pedro] stood by me and pushed me to …
Monday, August 6, 2012
International Olympic Committee announces Nick Delpopolo disqualified from London games. Athlete had already competed and finished 7th.
An Olympic judo athlete who trains in Wakefield has been expelled from the games after testing positive for a prohibited substance. A statement from the International Olympic Committee said that Nicholas Delpopolo, 23, was disqualified after he provided a positive urine sample after a match on July 30. Delpopolo competed in the 73kg weight class and placed 7th in London. A report on WCVB.com said that Delpopolo said that he unintentionally ate something containing marijuana before the games. The website also noted that this was the fifth positive test to come up during the London games. The Team USA website lists Delpopolo’s hometown as Westfield, New Jersey, and he was born in Belgrade, in the former Yugoslavia. He trains in Wakefield. …
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Travis Stevens, who trains at Jimmy Pedro's Judo Center in Wakefield, narrowly missed winning a bronze medal in Tuesday's Olympics action in London.
An Olympic athlete with a connection to Wakefield was unable to win a judo medal in Tuesday’s competition at the London games. Earlier this week, a profile piece on WHDH.com noted that Travis Stevens, 26, trains at Jimmy Pedro’s Judo Center in Wakefield. The report noted that Stevens, a native of Tacoma, Washington, placed ninth at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and considers judo to be the most physical of all martial arts. He also told WHDH that the training he has received at other nationally known judo centers is “a joke” compared to his training at Pedro’s. For his part, Pedro himself is a four-time Olympian and 1999 world champion who won bronze for judo in 1996 and 2004. On Tuesday in London, Stevens, a half middleweight (73-81 kg), …
