Jefferson Pérez

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Medal record
Olympic Games
Men's Athletics
Gold	1996 Atlanta	20 km walk
World Championships
Gold	1999 Seville	20 km
Gold	2003 Paris	20 km
Gold	2005 Helsinki	20 km

Jefferson Leonardo Pérez Quezada (born on July 1, 1974 in Cuenca) is an Ecuadorian track and field athlete. He has specialised in 20 km race walk.

His medal at the 1996 Olympics was the first olympic medal ever for Ecuador.

In the 2003 World Championships in Paris, France, Pérez also set the world best performance (as there are no world records in race walking) with 1:17:21.

Pérez also had 4th place finishes in the 20 km walk at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia and the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece.

Contents 1 Personal life 2 The beginnings 3 Individual Achievements 4 Personal Best 5 External links

[edit] Personal life

Jefferson was born in "El Vecino", one of the most traditional neighborhoods in Cuenca, on July one of 1974 as son of Manuel Jesús Pérez and María Lucrecia Quezada. During their childhood, Jefferson Leonardo's life was the same as that of the other neighborhood children, in the middle economic limitations. Also, his primary studies, attend in the elementary schools Eugenio Espejo and Gabriela Cevallos, after he entrance to the School Francisco Febres Cordero, all this had to share it with somes tasks to help the sustenance of his family.

[edit] The beginnings

Its incursion in the march was by casualty. Everything began before the urgency of getting ready for a resistance race that served as exam of Physical Education, when he was student of the second course in the high school Francisco Febres Cordero That urgency pushed him to request him brother Fabián that gave his position to train for one week next to the group of athletes directed by trainer Luis Muñoz. Muñoz decided to incentivate him to compete in a race. With few weeks of preparation he won the Sport race AID, winning the right of representing Ecuador in New York, USA and London, England like sport ambassador.

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

[edit] Individual Achievements

Him first excellent achievement was when he won the World-wide bronze medal in the Juvenile World cup of Athletics, Plovdiv, Bulgaria, in 1990.

Until two years late, his first consecration he reached when winning the juvenile world title in Seoul. Korea, Then victories came in sudamericans, bolivarianas, and Pan-American competitions in the absolute category. But their sport consolidation got it with its medal of gold in the Olympic Games of Atlanta 96. He also won the World Championships of Sevilla in 1999, Paris in 2003 and Finland 2005. In Finland he broke the world record and he received an special economic award.

[edit] Personal Best

Despite the United State's unparalleled success in the summer Olympics, the heroes of Atlanta will soon fade away into the heap of past Olympic athletes. Although millions looked on with a smile as medals were dispensed and the national anthem was repeatedly played, the average American's interest in Olympic glory will die out before next season's sitcom lineup is announced. For Ecuadorians however, the achievements of a 22 year-old speed-walker from Cuenca will receive top billing for some time to come. On July 26, Jefferson Perez walked into the Ecuadorian history books by winning the gold medal in the 20 km speed-walking marathon and becoming Ecuador's first Olympic medalist. It seemed as if all of Ecuador was glued to a television set on the morning of the 26th, when he quickly strolled by a German before crossing the finish line in the Olympic stadium. Afterwards car horns blared, flags waved and businessmen walking to work seemed to have a little more pep in their step. That afternoon, most businesses closed down for the short period while Perez received his medal and everyone sang along with the Ecuadorian anthem.

The courage and fatigue of Perez represents the heart of his country, his family and his friends," wrote sportswriter José Navarro Guzmán. But Ecuadorians were not the only country to take pride in the achievements of Perez, who was the only Latin American gold medalist. "The gold medal in speedwalking is for all of Latin America," said Perez, "We Latin Americans are not on top, but we have very strong hearts and many times that compensates for our physical limitations." Unlike the experience of other athletes, whose glory peaks at the medal ceremony, the excitement surrounding Jefferson Perez has steadily increased since his return to Ecuador. The popularity of this young athlete, as well as the incredible amount of gifts he has received, have dramatically changed his life. From the government of President Sixto Duran Ballen, Perez received the title of national hero, a medal of merit, a stamp in his honor and a lifetime pension worth 200 million sucres. Ecuadorian banks and corporations have given him another 200 million. In addition to a new Mazda 323 from a TV station, innumerable tickets and vacation packages from travel agencies and a lifetime supply of Toni yogurt, Perez has also been offered a new house in Cuenca. For his mother, a devout Catholic who has been blind since his birth, both the Metropolitan Hospital of Quito and the Optomology Center of Quito have offered to perform operations on her eyes. In performances of a different sort, a well known Salsa band has begun touring the country giving concerts in his honor, popular singer Wilfrido Vargas has written a chart topping hit about his victory and poet Washington Medina has composed a poem entitled "Glory y Honor". Jefferson finished his studies in Business Administration in the University of Cuenca and now he is making a MBA.

[edit] External links

• Official Homepage
• Photos about his technique
• The sacrifice of a friend pays dividend for Perez and Ecuador - article on IAAF.org

Olympic champions in men's 20 km walk
1956: Leonid Spirin | 1960: Vladimir Golubnichy | 1964: Ken Matthews | 1968: Vladimir Golubnichy | 1972: Peter Frenkel | 1976: Daniel Bautista | 1980: Maurizio Damilano | 1984: Ernesto Canto | 1988: Jozef Pribilinec | 1992: Daniel Plaza | 1996: Jefferson Pérez | 2000: Robert Korzeniowski | 2004: Ivano Brugnetti