Background
Bloom is Jewish, and was born in Stamford, Connecticut.
Bloom is Jewish, and was born in Stamford, Connecticut.
He later lived in Niskayuna, New York, where he attended Niskayuna High School, graduating in 1991. Bloom attended Wake Forest University as an undergraduate, graduating in 1996.
While there, he set a New York State high school discus throw record in 1991, with a distance of 202 feet, 9 inches. He earned a masters degree in mathematics education from Wake Forest University in 1998. He currently teaches mathematics at Ohlone College in Fremont, California.
At Wake Forest, he earned All-Atlantic Coast Conference honors each year.
He was also fourth in shot put at the World Outdoor Championships in 1999 (2095 m).
He was ranked fifth in the world in both shot put and discus in 1999, and third in the United States in shot put and second in discus. Bloom made the United States Olympic team in 2000, with a throw of 70–10.75.
He placed fourth at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, with a throw of 68–5.75 (2087 m). He finished 2000 ranked second in the world, and with a season-best mark of 71–7.25.
He was honored by the United States Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 2001.
He serves as Assistant Coach at the University of California at Davis. He is also the strength and conditioning coach for the University of California Davis athletics program