Remembering our Sports Heroes
By Eddie Alinea
PhilBoxing.com
Sun, 08 Jun 2014
Every Filipino, almost everybody, anyway, by now, knows that swimmer Teofilo Yldefonso gifted the Philippines its first Olympic medal ? a bronze in the 200-meter breaststroke, which he brought home from the 1928 Games in London.
The pride of Piddig town in Ilocos Norte, everyone also knows, repeated the feat four years later in 1932 Los Angeles where he spearheaded the country?s richest haul of three bronze medals in the ?Greatest Sports show On Earth,? finishing third, too, in his favorite event that equaled the performances high jumper Simeon Toribio and featherweight fighter Jose ?Cely? Villanueva.
Yldefonso, only few though were privy to, became the only Filipino athlete to have been elevated by an amateur international sports federation to the sport?s Hall of Fame, an honor bestowed on him by the International Swimming Federation (FINA) only four years ago in 2009.
In ending up third in the 200- breast, FINA took notice of the Filipino?s unfamiliar style, which is now known as ?Yldefonso Stroke? that has been adapted by pint-sized swimmers, especially Asians, the Japanese, in particular.
Not many knows, too, though that Yldefonso, a member of Philippine scout even when he was still active in carrying the country?s colors in many sporting capitals in the word, likewise, like 51 other members of the national teams in nine sports, put his life on the line in the field of combat in defense of the country?s Independence during the Filipino-Japanese War.
Yldefonso, in fact, died in the infamous Capas Concentration Camp in Tarlac along with his comrades in arms during the long, murderous Tarlac-Bataan Death March perpetrated by the conquering Japanese Imperial Army.
Eight other Filipino Olympians, who represented the country in several Summer Games, died with their boots on during the war. They were trackster Miguel White and Lt. Nemesio de Guzman, , basketball players Jacinto ?Jumping Jack? Ciria Cruz and Amador Obordo, another swimmer Abduramam Ali, Lt. Otoniel Gonzafa in shooting, Lt. Simplicio de Castro in boxing and Lt. Enrique Jurado in wrestling.
In their honor, and those of the 42 other athletes, the Philippine Amateur Athletic Federation, then the ruling body in sports in the country, on July 17, 1951, installed a 33 x 24 inches bronze plaque containing their names on the left wall of the Rizal Memorial Coliseum fa?ade in a solemn ceremony presided over by PAAF president Jorge Vargas.
Since then though, the plaque, which at first glance looks like an ordinary marker proclaiming the names of the architect and builders of the basketball stadium, remained ill-maintained and unkempt. The contents of the plaque barely readable, Philippine sports commission chair Ritchie Garcia, when informed of the historical value of the marker, ordered the restoration of the signage in time for the commemoration of the 116th Anniversary of Philippine Independence Day on June 12.
White of Legaspi City in Albay, incidentally, maintained the country?s medal-winning ways in the quadrennial conclave in the span of eight years and three Olympic staging by saving the country?s participation in the 1936 Games In Berlin when he stashed away with another bronze in the 400-meter low hurdles, the national contingent?s only software in somewhat sharing the limelight with American multi-medal winner Jesse Owens on the track.
White was killed by the Japanese forces in a collision with unit of the guerilla movement somewhere in the Southern Luzon-Bicol area.
Ciria Cruz and Obordo were members of the Philippine basketball team that ended up third the first time the cage play was disputed in what could have been a silver medal had it not for the quirk in format.
The national quintet, admirably called ?The Islanders? by the appreciative German fans because of their in and off-court demeanor, won all, except one of their assignments, losing only to eventual champion the United States.
Skippered by then senator-to-be Ambrosio ?Paddy? Padiila, other members of the squad, coached by FIBA (International Basketball Federation) Hall of Famer Dionisio ?Chito? Calvo, were Primitivo Martinez, Charlie Borck, Jesus Marzan, Franco Marquicias, Fortunato Yambao, Bibiano Ouano and Johnny Worrel.
Ciria Cruz, who incidentally, was named co-Outstanding Athletes of Half-A-Century by the PAAF along with Yldefonso and football ace Virgilio Lobregat, was executed by the Japanese conquistadores while performing underground activities in Bayombong, Nueva Ecija in 1944.
Of the 52 in the list, 19 were international campaigners in athletics, 10 in swimming, nine in baseball, five in basketball, three in boxing, two in football, two in tennis and one each in wrestling.
Lt. De Guzman of the Philippine Army was a member of the athletics contingent in the IXth Games of Olympics in Amsterdam in 1928, while Gonzaga and De Castro both saw action also in the 1936 Berlin Games. Ali was Yldefonso?s swimming teammate in the Xth Olympiad in 1932 in L.A. (More? more ? more ? )
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Eddie Alinea.
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