David Rudman (wrestler)

Rudman was born in Kuybyshev (now Samara, Russia).^[1][3][4] He emigrated to the United States in 1994,^[5] and lived in New York City, where was involved in sports administration.^{[1][citation needed]} Rudman died on February 8, 2022, at the age of 78.^[6][7]

He was a member of the sport association "Dynamo".^[1]

In 1965–69 and 1973, he was the USSR Wrestling Champion at 70 kg.^[1] He was second in the USSR championship at 70 kg in 1970–72, and third in 1974.^[1]

In 1967, he was the Champion of the first International Sambo Tournament, at 70 kg.^[1][8][9] Rudman described sambo as "is a combination of many forms of martial arts, designed to give Soviet soldiers the edge in combat fighting".^[9] In 1973, he was the first World Champion in the weight category up to 68 kg.^[1] He was a six-time USSR sambo champion.^[4]

In 1969, he was the European Judo Champion in individual competition as a light-middleweight (U70), winning all of his matches in Ostend, Belgium, ahead of Antoni Zajkowski and Czeslaw Kur of Poland, and Patrick Vial of France.^[3] He won a bronze medal in the 1969 World Judo Championships in Mexico City in the U70 weight class.^{[1][2][3][10][11][12]} In 1970, he was part of the European Team Judo Champion at the championships in Berlin, fighting in the U70 weight class.^{[1][2][13][14]}

Rudman founded and served as director of the "Sambo-70" sports school in the Cheremushki District of Moscow.^[1][4][15]

He was the President of the American Amateur Sambo Federation since 2004, and President of the Federation International Amateur Sambo from 2005 on.^[1][9][16]

Rudman was an Honored Master of Sports of the USSR, and an Honored Coach of the USSR.^[1]