Jorge Perry

Jorge Perry Nova Villate (1908 – 29 December 1946), also known as Jorge Pérez and Jorge Perry, was a Colombian long-distance runner. Though Colombia had initially pulled out of the 1932 Summer Olympics, Villate had asked the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to compete at the games. The IOC then agreed and sponsored his training in the United States.

At the 1932 Summer Games, he would be the first Colombian Olympian. He competed in the men's marathon though fainted and did not complete the race, though he was awarded the IOC Medal of Merit. He was also entered to compete at the 1936 Summer Olympics though did not start in his events. Biography Jorge Perry Nova Villate was born in 1908 in Samacá, Colombia, to a Scottish father, who was born in Scotland but moved to Colombia at the age of six, and a Colombian mother. Growing up, Villate competed in races in various distances at the age of seven.

Colombia had initially pulled out of the 1932 Summer Olympics due to financial constraints. The nation did not have a National Olympic Committee at the time so Villate, a topographical engineer at the time, had asked the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to compete at the games. The IOC agreed and even sponsored travel to the United States four months early for his preparations. His personal best before the games was 2 hours and 35 minutes in the marathon. He was also entered to compete in the men's marathon and men's 10,000 metres at the 1936 Summer Olympics. He later died on 29 December 1946 in Bogotá due to a motorcycle accident.