Mark Berger (judoka)
Mark Berger is a Canadian judoka. A winner of the Gold Medal in the Men's Heavyweight Judo event at the 1983 Pan American Games and the Bronze Medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics, he was inducted into the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame in 1994. He was born in Ukraine and became a Canadian citizen in the late 1970s.Judo career
Berger immigrated to Canada from Ukraine stopping first Vienna, Austria waiting for the visa to go through in 1977. His Canadian career in Judo took off in 1978 when he won a gold medal in the Western Canada Summer Games.National titles
He won the Canadian national title in 1980, 1981, 1983, 1984, and 1986.He finished 6th in the World Championships in 1981, and 5th in 1984.Berger, who is Jewish, won a gold medal in the heavyweight division in the 1981 and 1985 Maccabiah Games in Israel.Berger won a silver medal at the 1985 Commonwealth Games.Berger won a gold medal at the 1983 Pan American Games, and was voted the province's Athlete of the Year.Olympics
In 1984 at the Los Angeles Olympics, he earned a bronze medal in judo in the heavyweight division. He defeated Radomir Kovacevic of Yugoslavia to win the bronze medal.He was inducted in 1994 into the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame.
In 1996 he was inducted into the Judo Canada Hall of Fame.Miscellaneous
- Berger is currently a coach in Canada.
- Berger coached both the men's and women's judo teams at the Maccabiah Games in 2001.
- He is also an international referee.
- Berger holds a 7th degree black belt in Judo, as well as 3-time Master of Sport ranking in Wrestling, and has placed 2nd in the World Sambo Championships.
- Berger is currently teaching in Ralph Brown School as a gym teacher. Has since retired from teaching at Ralph Brown school.
