José Peña (steeplechaser)
Encyclopedia
José Gregorio Peña (born 12 January 1987) is a Venezuela
n track and field
athlete who specialises in the 3000 metres steeplechase. His personal best for the event is 8:34.90 minutes
Born in San Cristóbal, Táchira
, he first established himself on the continental youth scene. His first international outing came at the 2002 South American Youth Championships in Athletics
, where he came fourth in the boy's 2000 metres steeplechase race. At the 2004 edition of the competition, he won the steeplechase gold medal
and also came fourth in the 1500 metres
and fifth in the 3000 metres
flat events. Moving up to the junior under-20 ranks, he ran at the 2005 South American Junior Championships in Athletics
. There he won the 3000 m steeplechase silver medal
behind Peru's Mario Bazán and he also placed eighth in the 1500 m final. He represented Venezuelan on the global stage at the 2006 World Junior Championships in Athletics
, but did not progress beyond the steeplechase heats. In November 2006, he was the runner-up at the 2006 South American Games (again to Bazán) and ran a national junior record time of 8:50.88 minutes.
In Peña's first season as a senior athlete, he won the bronze medal
in the steeplechase at the 2007 South American Championships in Athletics
. He was also the runner-up at the 2007 ALBA Games event. He focused on longer distances in 2008, coming seventh in the South American Cross Country Championships
and winning the national title over 5000 metres
. At the 2008 Ibero-American Championships in Athletics he came fifth in his specialist steeplechase event.
His focus returned to steeplechasing in the 2009 season. He came second at the 2009 ALBA Games, fifth at the World Military Track and Field Championships, then ran a personal best of 8:36.17 minutes at the 2009 South American Championships in Athletics
in Lima – finishing just one second behind the host nation's Mario Bazán who broke the championship record. Two weeks later, he competed at the 2009 Central American and Caribbean Championships in Athletics
and won the silver medal. He won the 2010 Venezuelan steeplechase title, but missed the rest of the track season that year.
At the 2011 South American Championships in Athletics
, Peña missed out on a steeplechase medal for the first time, coming in fifth place. A month later, he ran a personal best of 8:34.90 minutes at the 2011 Military World Games and was eighth in the event final. At the end of July he won the title at the 2011 ALBA Games
. The 2011 Pan American Games
in Guadalajara
saw him achieve his best finish to date, taking the Pan American gold medal ahead of Brazil's Hudson de Souza
with a tactical sprint finish. This achievement followed in the footsteps of his compatriot Néstor Nieves
, who won the same event in 2003.
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
n track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
athlete who specialises in the 3000 metres steeplechase. His personal best for the event is 8:34.90 minutes
Born in San Cristóbal, Táchira
San Cristóbal, Táchira
San Cristóbal is the capital city of the Venezuelan state of Táchira. It is located in a mountainous region of Western Venezuela. The city is situated 818 m/2,625 ft above sea level in the northern Andes overlooking the Torbes River, 56 km/35 mi from the Colombian border. San...
, he first established himself on the continental youth scene. His first international outing came at the 2002 South American Youth Championships in Athletics
South American Youth Championships in Athletics
The South American Youth Championships in Athletics is a biennial athletics eventorganized by "Confederación Sudamericana de Atletismo" , the South American area association of the International Amateur Athletic Federation . Starting in 1973, the competition was openfor athletes under-17 in the...
, where he came fourth in the boy's 2000 metres steeplechase race. At the 2004 edition of the competition, he won the steeplechase gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
and also came fourth in the 1500 metres
1500 metres
The 1,500-metre run is the premier middle distance track event.Aerobic endurance is the biggest factor contributing to success in the 1500 metres but the athlete also requires significant sprint speed.In modern times, the 1,500-metre run has been run at a pace faster than the average person could...
and fifth in the 3000 metres
3000 metres
The 3000 metres is a popular amateur middle distance track event where 7.5 laps are completed around a 400 metre track. This event is generally classified as middle distance, but it could be classed as a long distance event in many high schools, since they do not promote races such as the 5000 and...
flat events. Moving up to the junior under-20 ranks, he ran at the 2005 South American Junior Championships in Athletics
2005 South American Junior Championships in Athletics
The 36th South American Junior Championships in Athletics were heldat the Estadio Municipal Jorge Newbery in Rosario,Argentina from October 1-2, 2005.-Participation :...
. There he won the 3000 m steeplechase silver medal
Silver medal
A silver medal is a medal awarded to the second place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and contests with similar formats....
behind Peru's Mario Bazán and he also placed eighth in the 1500 m final. He represented Venezuelan on the global stage at the 2006 World Junior Championships in Athletics
2006 World Junior Championships in Athletics
The 2006 World Junior Championships in Athletics is the 2006 version of the World Junior Championships in Athletics. It was held from 15 August to 20 August at the Chaoyang Sports Center in Beijing, the capital of the People's Republic of China....
, but did not progress beyond the steeplechase heats. In November 2006, he was the runner-up at the 2006 South American Games (again to Bazán) and ran a national junior record time of 8:50.88 minutes.
In Peña's first season as a senior athlete, he won the bronze medal
Bronze medal
A bronze medal is a medal awarded to the third place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The practice of awarding bronze third place medals began at the 1904 Olympic Games in St...
in the steeplechase at the 2007 South American Championships in Athletics
2007 South American Championships in Athletics
The 2007 South American Championships in Athletics were held at the Estádio Ícaro de Castro Mello in São Paulo, Brazil from 7 June to 9 June 2007...
. He was also the runner-up at the 2007 ALBA Games event. He focused on longer distances in 2008, coming seventh in the South American Cross Country Championships
South American Cross Country Championships
The South American Cross Country Championships is an annual continental cross country running competition for athletes from South America or, more specifically, member countries of CONSUDATLE. It was first held in 1986, making it the oldest of the continental cross country championships...
and winning the national title over 5000 metres
5000 metres
The 5000 metres is a popular running distance also known as 5 km or 5K in American English. It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics. "5000 metres" refers to racing on a track and "5K" usually refers to a roadrace or cross country event...
. At the 2008 Ibero-American Championships in Athletics he came fifth in his specialist steeplechase event.
His focus returned to steeplechasing in the 2009 season. He came second at the 2009 ALBA Games, fifth at the World Military Track and Field Championships, then ran a personal best of 8:36.17 minutes at the 2009 South American Championships in Athletics
2009 South American Championships in Athletics
The 2009 South American Championships in Athletics was the forty sixth edition of the tournament and was held between 19 and 21 June in Lima, Peru....
in Lima – finishing just one second behind the host nation's Mario Bazán who broke the championship record. Two weeks later, he competed at the 2009 Central American and Caribbean Championships in Athletics
2009 Central American and Caribbean Championships in Athletics
The 2009 Central American and Caribbean Championships was the twenty second edition of the tournament and was held between 3 and 7 July in Havana, Cuba.-Event summary:...
and won the silver medal. He won the 2010 Venezuelan steeplechase title, but missed the rest of the track season that year.
At the 2011 South American Championships in Athletics
2011 South American Championships in Athletics
The 2011 South American Championships in Athletics were the 47th edition of the South American Championships, organised under the supervision of the CONSUDATLE. They were held at the National Center of High Performance Athletics in Buenos Aires, Argentina from 2 to 5 June 2011...
, Peña missed out on a steeplechase medal for the first time, coming in fifth place. A month later, he ran a personal best of 8:34.90 minutes at the 2011 Military World Games and was eighth in the event final. At the end of July he won the title at the 2011 ALBA Games
2011 ALBA Games
The IV ALBA Games is a multi-sport event to be held between 17–30 July 2010 in ten different states of Venezuela. The games are organized by the Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas .-Participating nations:...
. The 2011 Pan American Games
Athletics at the 2011 Pan American Games
Athletics competitions at the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara was held from October 23 to October 30 at the newly built Telmex Athletics Stadium. The racewalking and marathon events were held on the temporary Guadalajara Circuit and Route and the Pan American Marathon circuit respectively...
in Guadalajara
Guadalajara
Guadalajara may refer to:In Mexico:*Guadalajara, Jalisco, the capital of the state of Jalisco and second largest city in Mexico**Guadalajara Metropolitan Area*University of Guadalajara, a public university in Guadalajara, Jalisco...
saw him achieve his best finish to date, taking the Pan American gold medal ahead of Brazil's Hudson de Souza
Hudson de Souza
Hudson Santos de Souza is a Brazilian middle distance runner who competes mostly over 1500 metres. He has broken a number of South American records in middle-distance events....
with a tactical sprint finish. This achievement followed in the footsteps of his compatriot Néstor Nieves
Néstor Nieves
Néstor Francisco Nieves is a retired middle- and long-distance runner from Venezuela. He won the gold medal in the men's 3000 metres steeplechase event at the 2003 Pan American Games in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Nieves represented his native country at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta,...
, who won the same event in 2003.