Jorge Luis "Peco" González Rivera (born 20 December 1952) is a former Puerto Rican Olympic runner. He won a gold medal performance at the 1982 Central American and Caribbean Games, where he clocked a winning time of 2 hours, 12 minutes, and 41 seconds. He cemented his legacy the following year at the 1983 Pan American Games in Caracas, Venezuela, by securing Puerto Rico's first-ever Pan American gold medal in athletics where he won with a time of 2 hours, 12 minutes, and 43 seconds. At a domestic level, González set a record at the Ponce Marathon in 1982.
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Jorge Luis González Rivera | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Nickname | Peco | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 20 December 1952 (age 73) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Early life and career
editHe was born on 20 December 1952.[1]
He competed in the marathon at the 1982 Central American and Caribbean Games. He got the gold medal by crossing the finish line in a time of 2 hours, 12 minutes, and 41 seconds. Behind González's, Radamés González of Cuba secured the silver medal with a time of 2:12:11. At the same time, Miguel Cruz of Mexico took the bronze position in 2:13:37. Venezuela's Luis Ruda finished fourth at 2:14:42, followed closely by Cuba's Andrés Chávez in fifth at 2:14:27 and Puerto Rico's Pablo Dones in sixth with a time of 2:14:46. Rounding out the top finishers, Marcial Soto of Mexico secured seventh place in 2:15:56, Michel Lamothe of Haiti took eighth in 2:15:36, Robert Debroses of Haiti finished ninth in 3:02:09, and Wallace Williams of the United States Virgin Islands completed the race in tenth place with a time of 3:05:39.[2] In 1982, he set the all-time record for the Ponce Marathon, a record that, as of 2023, remains unbroken.[3]
At the 1983 Pan American Games in Caracas, Venezuela, he secured Puerto Rico's first Pan American athletics gold medal.[4] He won the gold by finishing in a winning time of 2 hours, 12 minutes, and 43 seconds. César Mercado secured the silver medal in 2:20:30. Following Puerto Rican, Cruz from Mexico claimed the bronze medal with a time of 2:21:12, while Venezuelan runners Armando Azócar and Luis Bautista took fourth and fifth places in 2:21:30 and 2:22:35, respectively. Rounding out the top finishers, Rafael Parra of Colombia finished sixth in 2:22:51, and Manuel García of Mexico completed the group in seventh place with a time of 2:24:35[5]
Achievements
edit| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Representing  Puerto Rico | |||||
| 1982 | Central American and Caribbean Games | Havana, Cuba | 1st | Marathon | 2:26:40 |
| 1983 | Pan American Games | Caracas, Venezuela | 1st | Marathon | 2:12:43 (NR) |
| 1984 | Olympic Games | Los Angeles, United States | 13th | Marathon | 2:14:00 |
| Montreal International Marathon | Montréal, Canada | 1st | Marathon | 2:12:48 | |
| Honolulu Marathon | Honolulu, United States | 1st | Marathon | 2:16:25 | |
| 1986 | Central American and Caribbean Games | Santiago, Dominican Republic | – | Marathon | DNF |
| 1987 | Pan American Games | Indianapolis, United States | 3rd | Marathon | 2:21:14 |
| 1990 | Montreal International Marathon | Montréal, Canada | 1st | Marathon | 2:16:18 |
| Central American and Caribbean Games | Mexico City, Mexico | 1st | Marathon | 2:18:55 | |
| 1992 | Pittsburgh Marathon | Pittsburgh, United States | 1st | Marathon | 2:17:33 |
| Olympic Games | Barcelona, Spain | — | Marathon | DNF | |
See also
editReferences
edit- ↑ "Jorge González". Olympedia. Retrieved 30 May 2026.
- ↑ XIV JUEGOS DEPORTIVOSCENIROAMERICANOS pEEiis (PDF). p. 147.
- ↑ Favoritos del Maratón La Guadalupe. Junior Lugo Marrero. La Perla del Sur. Ponce, Puerto Rico. Year 29. Issue. 7 December 2011. Retrieved 2 April 2014.
- ↑ Reyes, Por Fernando Ribas (23 July 2019). "Caracas vio a Peco González robarse el show". Primera Hora (in Spanish). Retrieved 31 May 2026.
- ↑ IX JUEGOS DEPORTIVOS PANAMERICANOS IX PAN AMERICAN SPORTS GAMES (PDF) (in Spanish). 1983. p. 122.
External links
edit- 1983 Year Rankings
- Jorge González at Olympedia
- Jorge González at Olympics.com
- Jorge González at Olympic.org (archived)
- Jorge González at World Athletics
