Jefferson Pérez Explained

Headercolor:silver
Jefferson Pérez
Full Name:Jefferson Leonardo Pérez Quezada
Nickname:Jeffi
Birth Date:1 July 1974
Birth Place:Cuenca, Azuay, Ecuador
Height:1.67 m
Weight:60 kg
Country:
Sport:Athletics
Alma Mater:University of Azuay
Event:Racewalking
Retired:21 September 2008 (age)

Jefferson Leonardo Pérez Quezada (born 1 July 1974) is an Ecuadorian retired race walker. He specialised in the 20 km event, in which he won the first two medals his country achieved in the Olympic Games.[1]

Early life

Pérez was born in El Vecino, one of the oldest neighborhoods in Cuenca, to Manuel Jesús Pérez and María Lucrecia Quezada. Like others in his neighborhood, his family was of limited economic means. He attended the elementary schools Eugenio Espejo and Gabriela Cevallos. Afterwards he entered the Francisco Febres Cordero high school, at the same time working to help out his family.

He graduated in Business Engineering and later obtained an MBA (Master in Business Administration) from the University of Azuay in Ecuador.

Career

Pérez entered race-walking by accident. To prepare for a walk that served as a high school physical education exam, he asked his brother Fabián to train for one week next to the group of athletes directed by trainer Luis Muñoz. Muñoz decided to invite him to compete in a race. With few weeks of preparation he won the race AID, winning the right of representing Ecuador in New York City and London as a sport ambassador.

Initially he participated in distance competitions of six kilometers. Later he had to make a radical decision, which was to dedicate himself completely to race walking. His first regional trophy in the 5 km walk during the South American Pre-Junior championship held in his native city of Cuenca.

His first international achievement occurred when he won the bronze medal in the Junior World Cup of Athletics in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, in 1990.

Two years later, he won the Junior World title in Seoul, Korea, followed shortly by victories in South American and Pan-American open competitions.

Olympic Games

Pérez won the gold medal at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, becoming the youngest ever Olympic race walk champion. Following his win he embarked on a 459abbr=onNaNabbr=on pilgrimage, walking, jogging and running from Quito's Franciscan cathedral to his hometown of Cuenca.[2]

He won a silver medal, his second medal, at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. He had fourth-place finishes in the 20 km walk at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney and the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.[3]

World Championships

Pérez won a silver medal at the 1999 World Championships in Seville.

He then won three consecutive gold medals from 2003 to 2007 at the World Championships in Paris, Helsinki, and Osaka, the only person that has been able to achieve this feat.

Pérez's winning time of 1:17:21 in 2003 became the first official world record for the 20 km walk when standards for road events were recognised from 2004 onwards and he received a financial bonus.

Retirement

Pérez walked his final race at the World Race Walking Challenge final in Murcia, Spain. He finished third in that race and second in the overall challenge standings.[4]

He announced his retirement from the sport in 2008.[5]

Personal bests

Event Result Venue Date
Road walk
10 km 38:24 min 8 June 2002
20 km 1:17:21 hrs 23 August 2003
50 km 3:53:04 hrs 27 August 2004
Track walk
10,000 m 38:37.6 min (ht) 9 May 1998
20,000 m 1:20:54.9 hrs (ht) 5 July 2008

International competitions

1988South American Youth ChampionshipsCuenca, Ecuadorbgcolor=gold1st5 km24:44.4
1989South American Junior ChampionshipsMontevideo, Uruguaybgcolor=gold1st10,000 m45:03.71
1990South American Junior ChampionshipsBogotá, Colombiabgcolor=gold1st10,000 m42:57.95
World Junior ChampionshipsPlovdiv, Bulgaria3rd10,000 m40:08.23
South American Race Walking Cup (U20)Guayaquil, Ecuadorbgcolor=gold1st10 km44:31.9
South American Youth ChampionshipsLima, Perubgcolor=gold1st5 km19:49.54
1991World Indoor ChampionshipsSevilla, Spain10th5000 m20:20.05
South American Junior ChampionshipsAsunción, Paraguaybgcolor=gold1st10,000 m43:10.1
South American ChampionshipsManaus, Brazil–20 kmDQ
Pan American Junior ChampionshipsKingston, Jamaicabgcolor=silver2nd10,000 m44:06.11
South American Race Walking Cup (U20)Bogotá, Colombiabgcolor=gold1st10 km42:48.6
1992Ibero-American ChampionshipsSeville, Spain3rd20 km1:25:50.5
Olympic GamesBarcelona, Spain—20 kmDNF
South American Junior ChampionshipsLima, Perubgcolor=gold1st10,000 m45:31.2
World Junior ChampionshipsSeoul, South Koreabgcolor=gold1st10,000 m40:42.66
South American Race Walking Cup (U20)São Paulo, Brazilbgcolor=gold1st10 km45:39
1993Bolivarian GamesCochabamba, Boliviabgcolor=gold1st20 km1:26:19
South American Junior ChampionshipsPuerto La Cruz, Venezuelabgcolor=gold1st10,000 m42:24.2
South American ChampionshipsLima, Perubgcolor=gold1st20 km1:24:31
Pan American Junior ChampionshipsWinnipeg, Canadabgcolor=gold1st10,000 m39:50.73
1994South American Race Walking CupSucre, Boliviabgcolor=gold1st20 km1:30:04
Pan American Race Walking CupAtlanta, Georgia, United States3rd20 km1:24:34
Ibero-American ChampionshipsMar del Plata, Argentina5th20 km1:26:08.2
1995South American Race Walking CupCuenca, Ecuadorbgcolor=gold1st20 km1:27:46
Pan American GamesMar del Plata, Argentinabgcolor=gold1st20 km1:22:53
World ChampionshipsGothenburg, Sweden33rd20 km1:34:20
1996South American Race Walking CupSão Paulo, Brazilbgcolor=gold1st20 km1:25:33
Olympic GamesAtlanta, Georgia, United Statesbgcolor=gold1st20 km1:20:07
1997South American Race Walking CupBogotá, Colombiabgcolor=gold1st20 km1:26:19
World Race Walking CupPoděbrady, Czech Republicbgcolor=gold1st20 km1:18:24
World ChampionshipsAthens, Greece14th20 km1:24:46
Bolivarian GamesArequipa, Perubgcolor=gold1st20 km1:27:54
1998South American Race Walking CupBogotá, Colombiabgcolor=gold1st20 km1:22:53
Pan American Race Walking CupMiami, Florida, United States—50 kmDNF
Goodwill GamesUniondale, New York, United States3rd20,000 m1:29:18.4
South American GamesCuenca, Ecuadorbgcolor=gold1st20 km1:23:11
1999World Race Walking CupMézidon-Canon, France—50 kmDNF
Pan American GamesWinnipeg, Canada3rd20 km1:20:46
World ChampionshipsSeville, Spainbgcolor=silver2nd20 km1:24:19
2000South American Race Walking CupLima, Perubgcolor=gold1st20 km1:30:50
Pan American Race Walking CupPoza Rica, Veracruz, Mexico 3rd20 km1:24.36
Olympic GamesSydney, Australia4th20 km1:20:18
2001World ChampionshipsEdmonton, Canada8th20 km1:22:20
UniversiadeBeijing, China5th20 km1:26:11
Bolivarian GamesAmbato, Ecuadorbgcolor=gold1st20 km1:30:27
South American Race Walking CupCuenca, Ecuadorbgcolor=gold1st20 km1:26:21
Pan American Race Walking Cupbgcolor=silver2nd
South American Race Walking Cupbgcolor=gold1stTeam10 pts
Pan American Race Walking Cupbgcolor=silver2nd21 pts
2002World Race Walking CupTurin, Italybgcolor=gold1st20 km1:21:26
4thTeam61 pts
South American Race Walking CupPuerto Saavedra, Chile—20 kmDNF
Ibero-American ChampionshipsCiudad de Guatemala, Guatemalabgcolor=gold1st20,000 m1:23:51
2003Pan American Race Walking CupChula Vista, California, United States bgcolor=gold1st20 km1:23:12
bgcolor=silver2ndTeam13 pts
Pan American GamesSanto Domingo, Dominican Republicbgcolor=gold1st20 km1:23:06
World ChampionshipsParis Saint-Denis, Francebgcolor=gold1st20 km1:17:21
2004World Race Walking CupNaumburg, Germanybgcolor=gold1st20 km1:18:42
bgcolor=silver2ndTeam35 pts
Olympic GamesAthens, Greece4th20 km1:20:38
12th50 km3:53:04
2005South American ChampionshipsCali, Colombiabgcolor=gold1st20 km1:22:54
World ChampionshipsHelsinki, Finlandbgcolor=gold1st20 km1:18:35
Bolivarian GamesArmenia, Colombiabgcolor=silver2nd20 km1:24:22 hrs
2006South American Race Walking ChampionshipsCochabamba, Boliviabgcolor=gold1st20 km1:26:27
bgcolor=silver2ndTeam12 pts
World Race Walking CupA Coruña, Spainbgcolor=silver2nd20 km1:19:08
7thTeam68 pts
2007Pan American Race Walking CupBalneário Camboriú, Brazil bgcolor=gold1st20 km1:25:08
Pan American GamesRio de Janeiro, Brazilbgcolor=gold1st20 km1:22.08
World ChampionshipsOsaka, Japanbgcolor=gold1st20 km1:22:20
2008Central American and Caribbean ChampionshipsCali, Colombia1st[6] 20,000 m1:20:54.9
Olympic GamesBeijing, Chinabgcolor=silver2nd20 km1:19:15

In popular culture

He appeared on Japanese TV show Hey! Spring of Trivia multiple times - in one episode, he tested how long it actually took to walk to a train station from an apartment advertised as "5 minutes away" (for him, it took under 2 minutes); in another, the show tested whether he would walk or run away when threatened (he ran).

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Jefferson Perez – Reaching for Olympic Gold . Ecuador.com . 8 August 2021.
  2. http://observer.guardian.co.uk/osm/story/0,,1270859,00.html "True Olympians"
  3. Web site: Minshull . Phil . 15 March 2023 . Perez the pinnacle of 100 years of Ecuadorian athletics . 15 March 2023 . World Athletics.
  4. News: Fernandez and Feitor take Murcia wins; Overall titles for Tallent & Plätzer – Race Walking Challenge Final . 21 September 2008 . 23 September 2008 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20080922151445/http://www.iaaf.org/WRC08/news/kind%3D100/newsid%3D47797.html . 22 September 2008 . dead .
  5. https://web.archive.org/web/20081003035218/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-04/23/content_8032816.htm "Ecuadorian walker Jefferson Perez trains alone for Beijing-2008"
  6. Guest

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