Jim Bregman

James Steven Bregman (born November 17, 1941, in Arlington, Virginia) was a member of the first American team to compete in judo at the Summer Olympics.[4] Bregman suffered as a child from asthma and bronchitis, and to build endurance tried several indoor sports before recognizing he could succeed at Judo.Bregman was believed to have trained nearly every day with Seki, who many considered the third or fourth best in the middleweight class in Japan, and served as Captain of Meiji's Judo Team.The experience may have been the singularly most important factor that enabled Bregman to medal in a sport where three of the four weight class golds were taken by Japanese Olympians in 1964.[5][8] Breaking another glass ceiling in 1965, Bregman became the first American to win a medal in the World Championships held in São Paulo, Brazil after taking a Bronze.
Arlington, VirginiaJudokaUnited StatesKodokanMeiji UniversityOlympic GamesWorld Champ.Pan American Champ.1964 Tokyo‍–‍80 kgWorld Championships1965 Rio de JaneiroPan American ChampionshipsMaccabiah Games1965 Maccabiah Gamesjudo at the Summer OlympicsUnited States Judo FederationJewishsempai1964 Summer Olympicsjudo in the 1964 Summer Games1965 Maccabiah GamesBen Nighthorse CampbellGeorge HarrisPaul MaruyamaYosh UchidaInstagramUnited States Judo AssociationMallon, BillSports Reference LLCInternational Judo FederationOlympics.comOlympedia