César Mercado

César Mercado (born October 25, 1959) is a Puerto Rican former long-distance runner who competed internationally in the marathon during the 1980s. He earned a silver medal at the 1983 Pan American Games in Caracas behind teammate Jorge González. Mercado went on to represent his country at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, finishing 31st. He later secured another prominent runner-up finish at the Central American and Caribbean Games, clocking a time of 2 hours, 19 minutes, and 40 seconds.

Early life and career He was born on 25 October 1959.

At the 1983 Pan American Games in Caracas, Venezuela, he got a silver medal in the men's marathon, finishing with an official time of 2 hours, 20 minutes, and 30 seconds. Mercado's runner-up finish was behind Jorge González, who won the race in 2:12:43. Following Mercado on the podium, Miguel Ángel Cruz of Mexico claimed the bronze medal in 2:21:12, closely followed by Venezuelan runners Armando Azócar and Luis Bautista in fourth and fifth places with times of 2:21:30 and 2:22:35, respectively. Rounding out the race, Rafael Parra of Colombia finished sixth in 2:22:51, while Manuel García of Mexico completed the group in seventh place at 2:24:35.

At the 1984 Olympic Games, he competed in the marathon and finished 31st.

César Mercado got second place with an official time of 2 hours, 19 minutes, and 40 seconds just behind Jorge González, who won the race in 2:18:55 seconds. Following Mercado across the line, Oscar J. Mejía of Venezuela took third place in 2:21:40, while Graciano González of Mexico and Kimball P. Reynierse of Aruba rounded out the top five with times of 2:25:16 and 2:25:29, respectively. Behind Mercado's podium pace, the remaining field finished with Costa Rica's Miguel A. Vargas in sixth (2:27:28), Colombia's José I. Ramírez in seventh (2:27:40), Nicaragua's William J. Aguirre in eighth (2:29:32), Costa Rica's Juan D. Amores in ninth (2:30:02), and the Dominican Republic's Julio C. Rosa alongside Mexico's Gumersindo Olmedo completing the standings in tenth and eleventh.

Achievements