Jorge González (Puerto Rican runner)

Jorge González
Personal information
Full nameJorge Luis González Rivera
NicknamePeco
Born20 December 1952 (1952-12-20) (age 73)
Utuado, Puerto Rico
Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing  Puerto Rico
Pan American Games
Gold medal – first place1983 CaracasMarathon
Bronze medal – third place1987 IndianapolisMarathon
Central American and Caribbean Games
Gold medal – first place1982 HavanaMarathon
Gold medal – first place1990 Mexico CityMarathon

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.

Early life and career

He 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

YearCompetitionVenuePositionEventNotes
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

References

  1. ↑ "Jorge González". Olympedia. Retrieved 30 May 2026.
  2. ↑ XIV JUEGOS DEPORTIVOSCENIROAMERICANOS pEEiis (PDF). p. 147.
  3. ↑ 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.
  4. ↑ Reyes, Por Fernando Ribas (23 July 2019). "Caracas vio a Peco González robarse el show". Primera Hora (in Spanish). Retrieved 31 May 2026.
  5. ↑ IX JUEGOS DEPORTIVOS PANAMERICANOS IX PAN AMERICAN SPORTS GAMES (PDF) (in Spanish). 1983. p. 122.
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