José Peña (steeplechaser)

José Peña

Peña at the 2016 Olympics
Personal information
Full name	José Gregorio Peña Trejo
Born	(1987-01-12) 12 January 1987 (age 30) San Cristóbal, Táchira, Venezuela
Height	1.60 m (5 ft 3 in)
Weight	52 kg (115 lb)
Sport
Country	Venezuela
Sport	Athletics
Medal record Men's athletics Representing  Venezuela Pan American Games 2011 Guadalajara 3000 m st. Bolivarian Games 2009 Sucre 3000 m steeplechase South American Championships 2013 Cartagena 3000 m st. 2009 Lima 3000 m st. 2007 São Paulo 3000 m st. CAC Championships 2009 Havana 3000 m st. South American Youth Championships 2004 Guayaquil 2000 m steeplechase
Updated on 21 December 2014.

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

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.