Jim Bregman started his judo career when only 12 but he quickly became very interested in the sport. In fact, after high school he went to college in Japan, at Sophia University of Tokyo, in order to study judo. Bregman returned to the United States just before the 1964 AAU Championships, where he defeated the Brazilian Pan-American champion to win the middleweight crown. Bregman also won the 1964 Olympic trials with ease, before taking his bronze medal at Tokyo. At the time of the Tokyo Olympics, Bregman was a third degree black belt.
United States