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.
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. In 1982, he set the all-time record for the Ponce Marathon, a record that, as of 2023, remains unbroken.
At the 1983 Pan American Games in Caracas, Venezuela, he secured Puerto Rico's first Pan American athletics gold medal. 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
Achievements
{|
|-
!colspan="6"|Representing
|-
|1982
|Central American and Caribbean Games
|Havana, Cuba
|bgcolor="gold" | 1st
|Marathon
|2:26:40
|-
|1983
|Pan American Games
|Caracas, Venezuela
|bgcolor="gold" | 1st
|Marathon
|2:12:43 (NR)
|-
|rowspan=3|1984
|Olympic Games
|Los Angeles, United States
|13th
|Marathon
|2:14:00
|-Coach A. Borrero
|Montreal International Marathon
|Montréal, Canada
|bgcolor="gold" | 1st
|Marathon
|2:12:48
|-
|Honolulu Marathon
|Honolulu, United States
|bgcolor="gold" | 1st
|Marathon
|2:16:25
|-
|1986
|Central American and Caribbean Games
|Santiago, Dominican Republic
| –
|Marathon
|DNF
|-
|1987
|Pan American Games
|Indianapolis, United States
|bgcolor="cc9966" | 3rd
|Marathon
|2:21:14
|-
|rowspan=2|1990
|Montreal International Marathon
|Montréal, Canada
|bgcolor="gold" | 1st
|Marathon
|2:16:18
|-
|Central American and Caribbean Games
|Mexico City, Mexico
|bgcolor="gold" | 1st
|Marathon
|2:18:55
|-
|rowspan=2|1992
|Pittsburgh Marathon
|Pittsburgh, United States
|bgcolor="gold" | 1st
|Marathon
|2:17:33
|-
|Olympic Games
|Barcelona, Spain
|—
|Marathon
|DNF
|}
See also
- List of Puerto Ricans
References
External links
- 1983 Year Rankings