Jorge Villegas Pérez
Jorge 'Coco' Villegas Pérez is a Mexican pool and open water swimmer and coach. He was inducted as an Honor Coach in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame, Class of 2025.
Contents
Coaching Career Highlights
- He has coached open water swimmers since 1986 and pool swimmers since 1982.
- He served as the Mexican National Swim Team Coach for the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games where he coached Laura Sánchez, Tere Rivera, Paola Melendez, Carlos Romo, Jacobo Waisman, David Lederman, Jorge Marino, Ricardo Gómez, and Rodolfo Bulnes.
- He served as the Mexican National Swim Team Coach from 1987 to 1991 and from 1993 to 1996 at the Pan Pacific Championships, Latin Cup, Central American and Caribbean Games (CCCAN).
- He served as the Mexican National Swim Team Head Coach at the 1991 FINA World Championships as both a pool and open water swimming coach.
- He coached several World Championship participants, and two IMSHOF Honor Swimmers Nora Toledano Cadena for 3 years and Jaime Lomelín Gavaldón for 7 years.
- He coached more than 100 open water swimmers throughout his career, who completed over 300 open water swims in 16 countries including the English Channel (including two-way crossings by Nora Toledano Cadena and Carlos Acosta), 57 km Maratón Acuática Internacional Santa Fe - Coronda in Argentina, the 1987 Cancún International Marathon Swim, 1991 Salvador Bahía swim in Brazil, the 36 km Maratona del Golfo Capri-Napoli in Italy, the 25 km FINA World Championships in Perth, Australia, the 45 km Molokai Channel in Hawaii, USA, Lac Leman in Switzerland, the 37 km Loch Ness in Scotland, Madeira in Portugal), the 35 km North Channel between Northern Ireland and Scotland, the 4-stage 4-day SCAR Swim Challenge with Arleen Gonzalez, the 32.3 km Catalina Channel, the 14.4 km Strait of Gibraltar between Spain and Morocco, the 45.9 km 20 Bridges and 91 km 40 Bridges around Manhattan Island in New York, and the 120 km 8 Bridges Hudson River Swim in New York.
Open Water Swimming Highlights
- He competed in the World Professional Marathon Swimming Federation circuit from 1978 to 1982.
- He was ranked 4th in the 1979 World Professional Marathon Swimming Federation circuit.
- On 4 February 1979, he finished 4th in the 57 km Maratón Acuatíco Río Coronda in Argentina in 8 hours 22 minutes.
- On 11 May 1979, he finished the 33.8 km Nile River Marathon in Egypt in 7 hours 51 minutes.
- On 4 August 1979, he finished 6th in 22.5 km Le 14 Milles de Paspébiac in Canada 7 hours 11 minutes.
- On 7 July 1980, he finished 6th in the 36 km Atlantic City Around the Island Swim in New Jersey, USA in 8 hours 28 minutes.
- He was a triathlete in the Ironman 70.3.
- He was a member of the Casablanca Mexico relay team that completed a two-way crossing in 18 hours 54 minutes on 4-5 September 2006 together with Jaime Lomelin, Bernado Huesca, Mauricio Balderas, Jorge Villegas, Luis O Vargas, and David Cano. Leg 1 from England to France in 8 hours 35 minutes and Leg 2 from France to England in 10 hours 19 minutes.
25e Traversée internationale du lac St-Jean
On 29 July 1979, he finished 7th in the 32 km Traversée internationale du lac St-Jean professional marathon swim in 21°C water in Quebec, Canada:
1. John Kinsella (USA) 7 hours 1 minutes 15 seconds
2. Claudio Plit (Argentina) 7 hours 16 minutes 21 seconds
3. Bill Heiss (USA) 7 hours 26 minutes 15 seconds
4. Juan Carlos Mosqueda (Mexico) 7 hours 28 minutes 55 seconds
5. Penny Lee Dean (USA) 7 hours 34 minutes 41 seconds
6. Nasser El Shazly (Egypt) 7 hours 46 minutes 49 seconds
7. Jorge Villegas (Mexico) 7 hours 55 minutes 5 seconds
8. Alwi Makki (Saudi Arabia) 8 hours 2 minutes 49 seconds
9. Marawan Saleh (Syria) 8 hours 9 minutes 53 seconds
10. Raul Villagomez (Mexico) 8 hours 10 minutes 12 seconds
11. Magdy Mandour (Egypt) 8 hours 14 minutes 24 seconds and Maher Saleh (Syria) 8 hours 14 minutes 24 seconds
13. Alberto Santiago (Argentina) 8 hours 24 minutes 41 seconds
14. Christine Cossette (Canada) 8 hours 42 minutes 15 seconds
15. Ossama Rachad (Egypt) 8 hours 53 minutes 29 seconds
16. Loreen Passfield (Canada) 8 hours 56 minutes 59 seconds
17. Mona Aly Hossen (Egypt) 8 hours 59 minutes 38 seconds
18. Joke Van Staveren (Netherlands) 9 hours 0 minutes 12 seconds
OTL Ibrahim Moustafa Feidalla (Egypt, 10h4m15s), Anwar Saleh (Saudi Arabia, 10h13m56s), Rémi Meunier (Canada 11h29m45s)
DNF Carlos Aguirre Argentina, 8h01m), Luis Prado Medel (Mexico, 5h40m), James Barry (USA, 4h30m)
Video
External links
- Carlos Acosta Makes a Tough Mental Shift, One Crossing at a Time
- From Jersey to San Diego, IMSHOF On The Move
- International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame Inductees to be Honored on Jersey in the English Channel
- Jorge 'Coco' Villegas Pérez Inducted as an Honor Coach in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame
- @cococoach_swim
- Marathon Swimmers Federation bio
- Swimming Gave Christian Ayala Opportunities To Give Back
- Casablanca Mexico
- Swim Cabo
