Ecuador Race walking OLYMPIC CHAMPION

Jefferson Perez

Also known as Jefferson Leonardo Pérez Quezada

Born: 1 Jul 1974 · 52
Birthplace: Cuenca, Ecuador
On the podium: 1988 – 2008
Olympian: 5× · Barcelona, Atlanta, Sydney, Athens, Beijing

6 2

40 1

7 3

53 international medals

All 53 results Report missing info

Biography

Olympic champion, race walking master. He was the only Ecuadorian Olympic medallist in any sport in history until Tokyo Games.

Started to race walking by an accident during his school days, won South American age group contest in late '80s. He finished third in 1990 World Juniors in Plovdiv, then upgraded to a gold medal two years later at the same championship. By quickly gain international experience, Perez won senior-level titles such as South American and Pan American titles in mid-90s.

Perez contested as next-gen race walking star in Atlanta Olympics at age of 22, where outclassed big names such as Bernardo Segura, Robert Korzeniowski and Mihail Shchennikov. He entered to last four kilometres in 20K race within six walkers leading pack and secured the title by walking 15:23 in remaining part of the course - eleven seconds clear to silver medallist Ilya Markov.

Jefferson Perez immediately turned a national hero after his historic gold medal, the first Olympic medal for his native country. His other Olympic experiences is very successful as well, fourth place both in Sydney and Athens, and finally ended with another Olympic podium - a silver - in Beijing 2008.

The Ecuadorian legend won three times World and Pan American titles. Meanwhile, his one of the outstanding achievements came in South American Juniors: Won five successive gold medal in this event - celebrated inaugural victory in there as a 15-years old. He also held a record in South American Race Walking Cup by taking 11 gold medals.

Perez broke 20 kilometres race walking world record in Paris St-Denis Stadium during World Championships 2003. He overcomes 16-sec deficit in last 5K against WR holder Paquillo Fernandez and clocked just one second better than the previous record.

PERSONAL BESTS
10kmW: 38:24 (Krakow 2002)
20kmW: 1:17:21 (Paris 2003)
50kmW: 3:53:04 (Athens 2004)
5000mW: 18:46.08 (Xalapa 2007)
10,000mW: 38:27.6 (Bergen 1998)
20,000mW: 1:20:54.9 (Cali 2008)

TRIVIA
♦ Graduated from Uni of Azuay.
♦ Frame: 1.67 cm - 60 kg.
♦ Very religious person. Goes church every sunday.
♦ After his Olympic glory; walked 459 kilometres from capital Quito to Cuenca through the Pan American Highway for promising to God.
♦ Found own company: JP Sports Marketing. Also established Jefferson Perez Foundation.
♦ A statue erected for his honour in his hometown, Cuenca.
♦ He contested and lost for Mayor of Cuenca in 2019 elections.

By championship

Championship				Total
Olympic Games	1	1	0	2
World Championships	3	1	0	4
World U20 CH	1	0	1	2
Pan American Games	3	0	1	4
Goodwill Games	0	0	1	1
South American Champs	2	0	0	2
South American U20 Championships	5	0	0	5
South American U18 Championships	2	0	0	2
Pan American U20 Champs	1	1	0	2
Pan American Race Walking Cup	2	1	2	5
South American Race Walking	12	0	1	13
South American Games	1	0	0	1
Ibero American Champs	1	0	1	2
Bolivarian Games	3	1	0	4
World Race Walking Cup	3	1	0	4
International total	40	6	7	53

Medals 53

Year	Championship	Event	Venue	Place	Mark	Record	Notes
2008	Olympic Games	20kmW	Beijing	2	1:19:15
2007	World Championships	20kmW	Osaka	1	1:22:20		Temperature 32C, Humidity %51
2007	Pan American Games	20kmW	Rio de Janeiro	1	1:22:08
2007	Pan American Race Walking Cup	20kmW	Balneario Camboriu	1	1:25:08
2006	South American Race Walking	20kmW	Cochabamba	1	1:26:27
2006	World Race Walking Cup	20kmW	La Coruna	2	1:19:08
2005	Bolivarian Games	20kmW	Armenia↗	2	1:24:22
2005	World Championships	20kmW	Helsinki	1	1:18:35
2005	South American Champs	20,000mW	Cali	1	1:22:54.4	CR
2004	World Race Walking Cup	20kmW	Naumburg	1	1:18:42
2003	World Championships	20kmW	Saint-Denis	1	1:17:21	WR
2003	Pan American Games	20kmW	Santo Domingo	1	1:23:06
2003	Pan American Race Walking Cup	20kmW	Chula Vista, CA	1	1:23:12
2002	World Race Walking Cup	20kmW	Turin	1	1:21:26
2002	Ibero American Champs	20,000mW	Guatemala City ↗	1	1:23:51.0
2001	South American Race Walking	20kmW	Cuenca	1	1:26:21
2001	Pan American Race Walking Cup	20kmW	Cuenca	2	1:26:21
2001	Bolivarian Games	20kmW	Ambato↗	1	1:30:27
2000	Pan American Race Walking Cup	20kmW	Poza Rica, Veracruz	3	1:23:46
2000	South American Race Walking	20kmW	Lima	1	1:30:50
1999	World Championships	20kmW	Seville	2	1:24:19
1999	Pan American Games	20kmW	Winnipeg	3	1:20:46
1998	South American Games	20kmW	Cuenca ↗	1	1:23:11	CR
1998	Goodwill Games	20,000mW	New York	3	1:29:18.4
1998	South American Race Walking	20kmW	Bogota	1	1:22:53	CR
1997	Bolivarian Games	20kmW	Arequipa↗	1	1:27:54
1997	World Race Walking Cup	20kmW	Podebrady	1	1:18:24	CR
1997	South American Race Walking	20kmW	Bogota	1	1:26:19
1996	Olympic Games	20kmW	Atlanta	1	1:20:07
1996	South American Race Walking	20kmW	Sao Paulo	1	1:25:33	CR
1995	Pan American Games	20kmW	Mar del Plata	1	1:22:53	CR
1995	South American Race Walking	20kmW	Cuenca	1	1:27:46
1994	Pan American Race Walking Cup	20kmW	Atlanta	3	1:24:34
1994	South American Race Walking	20kmW	Sucre	1	1:30:04
1993	Pan American U20 Champs	10,000mW	Winnipeg	1	39:50.73
1993	South American Champs	20kmW	Lima	1	1:24:31
1993	South American U20 Championships	10,000mW	Puerto La Cruz	1	42:24.2
1993	Bolivarian Games	20kmW	Cochabamba↗	1	1:26:19	CR
1992	South American Race Walking	10kmW	Sao Paulo	1	45:39 U20
1992	South American Race Walking	20kmW	Sao Paulo	3	1:31:07
1992	World U20 CH	10,000mW	Seoul	1	40:42.66
1992	South American U20 Championships	10,000mW	Lima	1	45:31.2
1992	Ibero American Champs	20,000mW	Seville	3	1:25:50.5
1991	South American Race Walking	10kmW	Bogota	1	42:49 U20	CR
1991	Pan American U20 Champs	10,000mW	Kingston	2	44:06.11
1991	South American U20 Championships	10,000mW	Asunción	1	43:10.1
1990	South American U18 Championships	5000mW	Lima	1	19:49.54
1990	South American Race Walking	10kmW	Guayaquil	1	44:32 U20
1990	South American Race Walking	5kmW	Guayaquil	1	20:02 U18
1990	World U20 CH	10,000mW	Plovdiv	3	40:08.23
1990	South American U20 Championships	10,000mW	Bogota ↗	1	42:57.95
1989	South American U20 Championships	10,000mW	Montevideo	1	45:03.71
1988	South American U18 Championships	5000mW	Cuenca ↗	1	24:44.4