Jorge Luis "Peco" González Rivera (born 20 December 1952) is a former Puerto Rican

Olympic Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece bet ...

runner. He achieved victory in numerous races and participated in various international events, including the

Pan American Games The Pan American Games, known as the Pan Am Games, is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas. It features thousands of athletes participating in competitions to win different summer sports. It is held among athletes from nations of th ...

and the

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international Olympic sports, sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a Multi-s ...

. In 1982, he set the all-time record for the Ponce Marathon, a record that, as of 2023, remains unbroken.

Biography

González gained significant fame in Puerto Rico, where he is affectionately known as ''Peco'' (after Pecos Bill, ''the fastest cowboy to ever live''). Despite high expectations at the 1984 Olympics in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, he did not secure any Olympic medals. The peak of his popularity was during the 1980s, marked by national tours across Puerto Rico, autograph signings at department stores, and appearances in television commercials. González, a native of Utuado, Puerto Rico, still resides there. The city hosts the ''Jorge "Peco" González Coliseum,'' named in his honor. González's first marriage to Aida Luz Reyes resulted in his only daughter, Katherine González, who currently resides in the United States.

Athletics career

At the

1983 Pan American Games The 1983 Pan American Games, officially known as the IX Pan American Games () and commonly known as Caracas 1983, were held in Caracas, Venezuela from August 14 to August 29, 1983. The games were the first major international competition to inclu ...

Caracas, Venezuela Caracas ( , ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas (CCS), is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas). Caracas is located along the Guaire River in the northern p ...

, he secured Puerto Rico's first Pan American athletics gold medal.Caracas vio a Peco González robarse el show
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Achievements

References

External links

1983 Year Rankings
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gonzalez, Jorge 1952 births Living people People from Utuado, Puerto Rico Puerto Rican male marathon runners Puerto Rican male long-distance runners Olympic track and field athletes for Puerto Rico Athletes (track and field) at the 1983 Pan American Games Athletes (track and field) at the 1987 Pan American Games Athletes (track and field) at the 1984 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1992 Summer Olympics Pan American Games gold medalists for Puerto Rico Pan American Games track and field athletes for Puerto Rico Pan American Games bronze medalists for Puerto Rico Pan American Games gold medalists in athletics (track and field) Pan American Games bronze medalists in athletics (track and field) Central American and Caribbean Games gold medalists for Puerto Rico Competitors at the 1982 Central American and Caribbean Games Competitors at the 1990 Central American and Caribbean Games Central American and Caribbean Games medalists in athletics Medalists at the 1983 Pan American Games Medalists at the 1987 Pan American Games 20th-century American sportsmen

Biography

Athletics career

Achievements

See also

References

External links