José Pérez

In his Olympic début at the 1952 Helsinki Games, José Pérez placed 38th individually in the pentathlon, and 14th out of 16 nations with the Mexican team, alongside Antonio Almada and David Romero. At the 1955 Pan American Games, however, this trio won the gold medal, with Pérez taking individual honors. At the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, the trio came in fifth, with Pérez 12th individually. By 1959, Sergio Escobedo had replaced Romero and together they took bronze at that year’s Pan American Games. That same year, Pérez took gold in the team épée tournament at the Central American and Caribbean Games.

Pérez’s final Olympics came in 1960 in Rome, where he placed 43rd in the individual modern pentathlon, and eighth with Almada and Escobedo in the team. This trio also competed alongside Benito Ramos and Ángel Roldán in the team épée competition, but were eliminated in round one. At the 1962 Caribbean and Central American Games, Pérez helped defend his title in the team épée, and also took bronze individually. His final major international medal came at the 1963 Pan American Games, when he, Almada, and Escobedo took bronze in the team modern pentathlon.