José Gregorio Peña Trejo (born 12 January 1987) is a Venezuelan track and field athlete who specialises in the 3000 metres steeplechase. His personal best for the event is 8:20.87 minutes

Biography 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.2002 South American Youth Championships . World Junior Athletics History. Retrieved on 2 November 2011. 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.2004 South American Youth Championships . WJAH. Retrieved on 2 November 2011. 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.2005 South American Junior Championships . WJAH. Retrieved on 2 November 2011. 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.Biscayart, Eduardo (13 November 2006). Brazil best at South American U-23. IAAF. Retrieved on 2011-11-02.

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.Biscayart, Eduardo (10 June 2007). 14.57 Area Triple Jump Record for Costa as South American Champs finish. IAAF. Retrieved on 2011-11-02. 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.José Gregorio Peña. Tilastopaja. Retrieved on 2 November 2011.

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.Biscayart, Eduardo (21 June 2009). Adriano takes seventh South American Discus title – Day 2 report . IAAF. Retrieved on 2011-11-02. Two weeks later, he competed at the 2009 Central American and Caribbean Championships in Athletics and won the silver medal.XXII Campeonato CAC Atletismo 2009 . Central American and Caribbean Athletic Confederation. Retrieved on 2 November 2011. 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.José Peña logró la undécima dorada . Últimas Noticias Venezuela (28 October 2011). Retrieved on 2011-11-02. This achievement followed in the footsteps of his compatriot Néstor Nieves, who won the same event in 2003.

Peña served as the flag bearer for Venezuela at the opening ceremony of the 2014 South American Games.José Peña. nbcolympics.com

Personal bests 1500 m: 3:44.06 min – Eagle Rock, United States, 4 May 2013 3000 m: 7:54.42 min – Linz, Austria, 26 August 2013 5000 m: 13:47.25 min – Stanford, United States, 29 March 2013 3000 m steeplechase: 8:20.87 min NR – Berlin, Germany, 1 September 2013

International competitions Representing 2002South American Youth ChampionshipsAsunción, Paraguay4th2000 m s'chase6:27.072004South American Youth ChampionshipsGuayaquil, Ecuador4th1500 m3:59.85th3000 m8:45.81st2000 m s'chase5:52.22005South American Junior ChampionshipsRosario, Argentina2nd3000 m s'chase9:13.742006World Junior ChampionshipsBeijing, China13th (h)3000 m s'chase8:52.36South American Under-23 Championships /<br/ > South American GamesBuenos Aires, Argentina8th5000m14:34.132nd3000 m s'chase8:50.88 NJR2007ALBA GamesCaracas, Venezuela2nd3000 m s'chase8:51.42 South American ChampionshipsSão Paulo, Brazil3rd3000 m s'chase8:54.432008South American Cross Country ChampionshipsAsunción, Paraguay7thLong course (12 km)38:47Ibero-American ChampionshipsIquique, Chile5th3000 m s'chase8:54.802009ALBA GamesHavana, Cuba2nd3000 m s'chase8:44.47World Military Track & Field ChampionshipsSofia, Bulgaria5th3000 m s'chase8:48.00South American ChampionshipsLima, Peru2nd3000 m s'chase8:36.17 PB ACentral American and Caribbean ChampionshipsHavana, Cuba2nd3000 m s'chase8:51.03Bolivarian GamesSucre, Bolivia3rd3000 m s'chase10.04.90 A2011South American ChampionshipsBuenos Aires, Argentina5th3000 m s'chase8:44.18Military World GamesRio de Janeiro, Brazil8th3000 m s'chase8:47.18ALBA GamesBarquisimeto, Venezuela1st3000 m s'chase8:45.25South American Road Mile ChampionshipsBelém, Brazil6thOne mile4:14Pan American GamesGuadalajara, Mexico1st3000 m s'chase8:48.19 A2012Ibero-American ChampionshipsBarquisimeto, Venezuela1st3000 m s'chase8:37.67Olympic GamesLondon, United Kingdom16th (h)3000 m s'chase8:24.06 NR 2013South American ChampionshipsCartagena, Colombia7th1500 m3:47.631st3000 m s'chase8:32.01World ChampionshipsMoscow, Russia16th (h)3000 m s'chase8:24.88Bolivarian GamesTrujillo, Peru1st3000 m s'chase8:26.6 (ht) 2014South American GamesSantiago, Chile – 5000 mDNF1st3000 m s'chase8:36.81Central American and Caribbean GamesXalapa, Mexico2nd3000m s'chase8:45.04 A2015Pan American GamesToronto, Canada7th3000 m s'chase8:59.402016Ibero-American ChampionshipsRio de Janeiro, Brazil5th3000 m s'chase8:43.90Olympic GamesRio de Janeiro, Brazil22nd (h)3000 m s'chase8:32.382017South American ChampionshipsAsunción, Paraguay1st3000 m s'chase8:45.93World ChampionshipsLondon, United Kingdom31st (h)3000 m s'chase8:37.15Bolivarian GamesSanta Marta, Colombia1st3000 m s'chase8:39.992018South American GamesCochabamba, Bolivia4th3000 m s'chase9:30.00Central American and Caribbean GamesBarranquilla, Colombia –3000 m s'chaseDNF2019South American ChampionshipsLima, Peru6th3000 m s'chase8:57.95Pan American GamesLima, Peru9th3000 m s'chase9:02.042022Ibero-American ChampionshipsLa Nucía, Spain6th3000 m s'chase8:46.812023ALBA GamesCaracas, Venezuela1st3000 m s'chase9:09.15Central American and Caribbean GamesSan Salvador, El Salvador –3000 m s'chaseDNFPan American GamesSantiago, Chile12th3000 m s'chase9:17.90

References

External links