Jefferson Leonardo Pérez Quezada is a retired Ecuadorian race walker. He specialized in the 20 km event, in which he has won the only two medals his country has ever achieved in the Olympic Games. He won the gold medal at the 1996 Olympics, becoming the youngest-ever gold medal winner in the 20 km walk event. Following his win he embarked on a 459 km pilgrimage, walking, jogging and running from Quito's Franciscan cathedral to his hometown of Cuenca. In the 2008 Olympics he won the silver medal in the same competition at 34 years of age, before announcing his retirement from the sport. In the 2003 World Championships in Paris, France, Pérez also set the world best performance with 1:17:21 in the 20 km. Pérez had fourth-place finishes in the 20 km walk at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia and the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece.
| Sport: | Athletics |
| Event(s): | Racewalking |
| Retired: | September 21, 2008 (age) |
| Olympic finals: | 1996 Summer Olympics, 2000 Summer Olympics, 2004 Summer Olympics, 2008 Summer Olympics |
| Twitter: | Jefferson Pérez's Twitter profile |
| Facebook: | Jefferson Pérez's Facebook profile |
About Jefferson Pérez
Race walker who won a gold medal in the 20km race at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, becoming the first Ecuadorian to earn an Olympic medal.
Before Fame
He began race walking in high school in preparation for a physical education exam.
Achievement
He was dominant in the 2000s, winning gold medals at the 2003, 2005, and 2007 World Championships.
Family Life
He was born and raised in Cuenca, Azuay, Ecuador.
Associations
He was part of a track and field contingency that was led by Michael Johnson at the 1996 Olympics.
Information related to Jefferson Pérez
- Ecuadorian male racewalkers
- Pan American Games gold medalists for Ecuador
- Olympic athletes of Ecuador
- Pan American Games competitors for Ecuador
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1995 Pan American Games
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1999 Pan American Games
- Athletes (track and field) at the 2007 Pan American Games
- Athletes (track and field) at the 2003 Pan American Games
- Olympic gold medalists in athletics (track and field)
