64. FELICISIMO ‘Mighty Mite’ H. AMPON: Tennis Giant, by Dr. Rey E. De La Cruz

(This original article is reposted here with permission from the author, Dr. Rey E. De La Cruz, via "Positively Filipino". Originally published in Filipinas Magazine, Oct. 2000. Photos courtesy of Lito Ampon)

Tennis, as we know it today, was developed from lawn tennis by Major Walter Clopton Wingfield of Wales in 1873., The sport is played outdoor on any of three surfaces: concrete, clay, and grass. Because it slows the speed and makes the ball bounce higher, the clay court is considered the most difficult surface on which to exercise power and control.

In the late 1930s, tennis seemed out of place in the Philippines. At the time, the country was still under American occupation. With its all-white color scheme, tennis was considered a colonial sport. It was also viewed as an elite sport; only the wealthy had the leisure time and money to indulge in the expensive game.

The social, racial, physical, and political barriers that surrounded the sport were broken by Felicisimo H. Ampon, who placed the Philippines on the world map of tennis and is thought of as the greatest Filipino tennis player, if not athlete, of all time. He is included in tennis literature, including Bud Collins’ Tennis Encyclopedia, the bible of the tennis world.

Who would have thought that a Filipino, standing just a shade above five feet tall and coming from the working class, would bring the tallest and strongest tennis players of the world to their knees and on clay courts at that?

Ampon’s height and build did not matter because he was difficult to vanquish on the tennis court. Sportswriters dubbed him “Mighty Atom,” “Brown Doll,” and “Giant Killer.” But he was more popularly known as “Mighty Mite,” a moniker given by Jimmy Lacsamana, sports editor of Manila Daily Bulletin during Ampon’s heyday.

Early Lessons

Ampon’s metamorphosis into a great tennis player did not happen by a miracle.

When he picked up a racket at age 12, he realized that tennis was not just a game, but an art that had to be constantly perfected.

His father, Felix, who was a self-taught tennis player and a national singles champion in the Philippines in 1931, encouraged him to play tennis primarily because it is an individualized sport. Ampon eventually fared better by himself, rather than on a team. Also, his father taught him how to turn his weaknesses into strengths.

In a 1979 interview with Go, a sports and leisure magazine in the Philippines, Ampon recounted how he learned to compensate for his small size: “My father taught me to use the power of my opponent. He knew as well as I did that I could not drive as hard and powerfully as many players. Thus, he told me to perfect my return shots and wear my opponent down.”

Tennis was a family affair. Ampon’s sister, Desideria, was a national tennis champion in her day.

Conquests and Challenges

The Manila-born-and-bred Ampon first garnered victory at 18 when he won the national tennis singles championship title in 1938.

During the period in Asia, the Japanese had the upper hand in tennis. But in 1940, at the Far Eastern Athletic Games in Tokyo, Ampon beat Fumiteru Nakano, the Japanese master of the clay court.

Except for a few times, Ampon was the winner of the national singles championship title in the Philippines for nearly three decades between 1938 to 1968.

Traveling extensively and participating in numerous competitions, Ampon played against the tennis aces of the world, including Pancho Gonzales, Jack Kramer, Bob Lutz, Bobby Riggs, Vic Seixas, and Tony Trabert of the United States; Rod Laver, Frank Sedgman, and Ken Rosewall of Australia; Jaroslav Drobny of Czechoslovakia; Lennart Bergelin of Sweden; and Manuel Santana of Spain.

 Ampon was a member of the Philippines’ Davis Cup team from 1939 to 1968. In 1948, he triumphed over Heraldo Weiss of Argentina in the All-England Plate of Wimbledon.

 His crowning glory came in 1950 at the Pan American Tennis Championship in Mexico, where 64 highly rated tennis players, including the top 10 tennis players in the world, competed. At the end of the tournament, when Ampon and six-foot Tom Brown of the United States were the only players left, the match turned into a veritable drama of a diminutive David fighting the giant Goliath.

 Victory Cup

Throughout the memorable match, which he won, Ampon controlled the clay court with remarkable agility. The championship established him as a world-class tennis player, “pound-for-pound or inch-for-inch” as described by the media at the time. Ampon came home to a hero’s welcome; immediately, he became a household name in the Philippines. Up to this day, the surname Ampon is synonymous with tennis.

Skills and Charm

What made Ampon a powerhouse on the tennis court?

 In Philippine Sports Greats, Henry Diy attributed Ampon’s genius to his “tricky placements, accurate anticipation of his opponent’s shots, and unsurpassed stamina.” On the way to the top of the game, Ampon had to hurdle major drawbacks. Richard Evans, author of The Davis Cup, described him as “a tiny master of his craft who stood little over five foot tall and weighed no more than a bamboo shoot.”

What was his allure on the tennis court, especially in the United States?

In the autography of Pancho Gonzales, entitled Man with a Racket, and as told to Cy Rice, it was pointed out that the generally fair-minded American audiences tended to root for pint-sized and underdog players like Ampon.

Although he accumulated at least 200 trophies in his lifetime, playing good tennis was Ampon’s only focus throughout his career.

“I couldn’t keep track of my father’s archives,” according to Lito, one of Ampon’s sons. “He competed with famous people, but he forgot many of them. He didn’t care about celebrities. All that mattered was his performance on the court.”

Royal Encounters

In 1948, while playing in Sweden, an elderly gentleman seated near the court repeatedly cheered for Ampon, shouting in English: “Nice going, young man! Keep it up!” Ampon felt glad that somebody spoke in a language that he understood. He acknowledged the gentleman’s cheers by smiling at him.

Later at a cocktail party given by the Swedish tennis committee, the gentleman shook hands with Ampon and said: “I congratulate you on your victory. I hope I shall be able to play tennis with you someday.”

“Thank you, sir. It will be a pleasure to play with you,” Ampon replied.

 They spoke briefly, and the gentleman excused himself.

 Ampon asked a member of the Swedish committee who the gentleman was. He was 88-year-old King Gustav V of Sweden!

 Also in 1948, Ampon’s Plate championship trophy at the Wimbledon was handed to him at the center court by no less than Queen Mary of England.

 Private Side

Ampon led a quiet life outside the tennis court. He coached tennis enthusiasts on the side. The Far Eastern University accounting graduate worked for Philippine National Bank as an officer. He was also sports director at one time. His last position was assistant manager of the bank’s branch in Chicago until 1985.

Ampon married Angeles Arceo of Batangas City, Batangas. They raised one daughter, Pet Mallari, who resides in the Philippines, and three sons, who are all in the United States.

 Family Man:

Tennis is clearly in the genes. In 1971, Ampon’s three sons swept all age categories at a competition sponsored by the Philippine Lawn Tennis Association: Felix II won in the 18-year-old-and-under group; Mel, 15-year-old-and-under; and Lito, 13-year-old-and-under.

Educated by Benedictines at San Beda University in Manila, the three sons excelled in tennis in grade school and high school. They graduated from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illinois, on tennis scholarships. Felix II works as an engineer in the Detroit area. Mel and Lito are tennis instructors at tennis clubs in the Chicago suburbs.

The senior Ampon spent his retirement years in Highland Park, Illinois. He is included in Estrella Ravelo Alamar and Willi Red Buhay’s book: Filipinos in Chicago. When not on the tennis court, he traveled and doted on his grandchildren.

Ampon died at 76. In an obituary on October 12, 1997, the Chicago Tribune described him as “a world-class tennis player whose short stature earned him the nickname ‘Mighty Mite’ … an ambassador for Philippine sports nearly 30 years until his retirement in 1968.”

His wife, Angeles, said, “He never forgot his beginnings.” Ampon was buried in the Philippines, the country that he elevated in the world of sports through his tennis prowess.

The Philippine Sportswriters Association cited Ampon as one of the greatest Filipino athletes of the 20th century in a ceremony held in January 2000.

 Because of his unsurpassed international triumphs, there is a campaign to have Ampon appear on a Philippine postage stamp. In a letter supporting the campaign, The Boston Globe columnist Bob Collins wrote: “Ampon was highly regarded by his peers on the circuit and correspondents covering the game as an unflinching competitor and exemplary sportsman.”

The author wishes to thank Dexjordi Lyle Sison for his assistance in the photos. Originally published in Filipinas Magazine in October 2000.

(POSTSCRIPT: Alex D.R. Castro extends his thanks to Dr. Rey de la Cruz for granting permission to re-post his article in this blog which aims to consolidate features and photos of our sports greats of yesteryears. His contribution is much appreciated)

63. Finest in the 400: GERMAN CANDARI, 1934 Far East Games Gold Medalist

In the 1930s, some of the finest 400 meter runners in Asia were Filipinos like Constantino Alambra, Serafin Estrada, Nemesio de Guzman (who went on to run in the 1936 Olympics) and the Antique-born athlete, GERMAN Tajanlangit CANDARI. His running career was a brief one, but undoubtedly rich with accomplishments and rewards, capped with a most amazing performance at his one and only Far East Games appearance in 1934.

German was born in Pandan, Antique in 1909, the eldest son of Bonifacio Candari and  Socorro Tajanlangit, also from Antique, in Dao. He was named after his paternal great grandfather German Torres Candari. His younger siblings include Concepcion and Victorio, who died young. He grew up in relative comfort as his father Bonifacio, then only in his mid-20s, was the Presidente Municipal of Pandan ( a granduncle, Marcelo Dioso Candari , had also been Pandan’s gobernadorcillo during the Spanish time, 1867-68)

German went to local schools, and it was in Antique High School that his athletic skills came to fore, as a representative of his school in various in interscholastic meets. To pursue his athletic dream, Candari moved to Manila, after being accepted as a student athlete of the National University. As part of the school’s track team, he regularly competed at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (N.C.A.A.) meets.

In the 2^nd week of February 1931, he was sent to the Philippine National Athletics Championship as an NCAA athlete. There, Candari caused a major sensation when he upset the heavily-favored 1928 Olympian, Anselmo Gonzaga by beating him in the 200 m. dash. From thereon, Candari became a valuable asset to the U.P. track and field team as he began asserting his supremacy in sprints even with veterans around.

With the Philippines scheduled to host the 1934 Far Eastern Championship Games in May, the Philippine Amateur Athletic Federation (P.A.A.F.) Track and Field Committee drew up a list of 107 athletes in February to train and try out for a slot in the Philippine National Team. German Candari, who was representing National University, was one of those shortlisted to join the training program.

The first cut was made in March when the number was pruned down to 77 athletes. Again, Candari survived the elimination  and was quartered along with the other aspirants at the La Salle College where they were subjected to a regimen of intense training and body conditioning. On March 25, 1934 he had to excuse himself for a day so he could attend his commencement exercise at the Manila Opera House and receive his secondary school diploma from N.U.

The arduous qualification process culminated at the Jose Rizal Memorial Field where the athletes were pitted against each other in final try-out races on the first day of May.

Bidding to run in the longer 400 m. sprint, Candari’s performance in the finals made headline news when he broke the existing Philippine record. The star spikeman clocked in at 50 secs. flat, obliterating the 51 secs held by Constantino Alambra. Newspapers made their fearless forecast by proclaiming Candari as “the best bet in the coming Olympic Games”. His victory earned him a loving cup and earned him a ticket to the 1934 Far East Games which unfolded in Manila just 2 scant weeks later.

Candari was at his peak when the intercontinental athletic events got underway at the Rizal Track and Field Stadium on May 13. The 400 m. race was crowded with ace Chinese and Japanese ace runners, made more competitive with the first appearance of Dutch East Indies and Indo-Chinese athletes. The famed Filipino Olympic veteran, Fortunato Catalon, was the official starter of the track events.

 At his signal, the runners flew out of their starting blocks to complete one trip around the oval. The crowd cheered as they caught sight of the three Filipino finalists coming round the bend leading the pack. German Candari crossed the finish line first, followed by the fleet-footed teen Nemesio de Guzman and the 1927 champ Serafin Estrada. The 1-2-3 Filipino finish was a monumental victory for the Philippines, which, at the last 1930 Games, could only snag a Bronze in this event, courtesy of the legendary Miguel White.

But when the time of Candari was announced, the reaction was thunderous—with his time of 49.8 secs., he became the first Filipino athlete to breach the 50 sec. barrier, and establish a new Far East Asian championship record.  It was Candari’s best race and his life’s finest hour. The young athlete was suddenly thrust in the limelight and was sought after to run in special events and sporting competitions both here and abroad.

In September 1934, for example, when renown American runner Al Fitch of the University of Southern California visited the Philippines, Candari was one of the star athletes  invited to run against him in special races at the Rizal Stadium, placing 2^nd.

A month later, the U.S. track team ( Glenn Cunningham, Frank Crowley, Ralph Metcalfe, Howard Greene, Wirt Thompson, John Anderson, Gordon Dunn, Charles Hornbostel) arrived in Manila to participate in a 2-day U.S.-Philippine Dual Meet while touring the islands. Once again, Candari was invited to lead the Philippine contingent as the Flag Bearer and participant.

1935 was another busy year for Candari, now a college student of the University of the Philippines, taking up Education with Physical Education as his Major. A track and field meet featuring elite athletes from the University of the Philippines, University of Santo Tomas and National University—known as the “Big 3” in Athletics—was organized and schedule for January 12 and 13 at the Rizal Memorial Stadium. U.P.’s delegation included the old reliables Silvino Cristobal, Rafael Navallasca, Mario  Branzuela and of course, German Candari.

As expected, Candari won the 400 meters Gold, followed by his U.P. teammate Teodoro Malasig, a future Olympian. He also placed 4^th in the 200 meter dash, helping U.P. keep the “Big 3” Track and Field Title.

Midway through the year, in the 3^rd week of June 1935, a crack Philippine team consisting of runners German Candari, Rafael Navallasca, Silvino Cristobal, Nemesio de Guzman, Antonio Salcedo, hurdler Miguel White, discus thrower Aurelio Amante, pole vaulter Miguel Sujeco and other Filipino standouts flew to Japan to  compete against the All-Japan Students track team. Though they lost overall, the Filipinos won the team relays, while White and Candari secured individual Golds for the 400 m. hurdles and the 400 m. run, respectively.

Pushing 30, Candari went to Samar before the outbreak of the war, together with fellow sprinter Rafael Navallasca, who had found a job there as a Forest Ranger of the Bureau of Forestry. He met his wife in the province, and started a transportation business offering trucking, moving and delivery services. Business flourished and he settled in Catbalogan to start his family, grow his enterprise to include the sale of heavy equipment, including International Harvester agricultural and construction equipment. By the 1950s, Candari was a prominent figure in Samar, a respected freemason in the community, and one of the most successful businessmen in the province.

On 14 November 1967 however, a major setback befell the Candari family. A pre-dawn fire blazed through the commercial district of Catbalogan, destroying buildings and residences, some of which belonged to the Candaris. All the members of the household escaped the fire but were unable to save anything. Big machineries and stocks of spare parts displayed on the ground floor of their beautiful building also went up in smoke.

Like a true sportsman with the “win-some-lose-some” attitude, German Candari picked himself up, rebuilt his home, re-started his business and never looked back. At age 72, he passed away on 4 October 1981, in Marikina.

SOURCES:

German Tajanlangit Candari (1909–1981). FamilySearch, https://ancestors.familysearch.org/en/GC87-CXB/german-candari-1909-1981

Personals, German Candari, The Filipino Athlete, Offcial Publication of the P.A.A.F, Mar. 1949 issue. P.15

P.A.A.F. Track and Field Committee To Meet Soon to Discuss Training Program.The Tribune, 17 Feb. 1934, p 9

77 Candidates are Quartered, The Tribune ,24 March 1934, p.10

Osias and President Hamilton Guests At Twenty-Second Commencement, The Tribune , 24 March 1934 , p.9

Olympic Notes, The Tribune, 24 March 1934 p.10

Trabad Conocimiento con Atletas de la Olimpiada: German Candari, La Vanguardia, Manila.  11 May 1934, p.17

White, Candari, Se Lucen Otra Vez en Japon..La Vanguardia, Manila,  21 Jun. 1935, p. 6

Al Fitch Cracks P. I.Mark in 400-Meter Run, The Tribune, 25 Sep. 1934

Complete List of Entries For Big Meet Is Announced, The Tribune ,  27 October 1934, p. 13

‘Sports of all Sports “BIG 3” Track, Field on, Shortly Entries Are Announced’. ’The Tribune (Philippines.  4 Jan. 1935 , p.11

Miguel White, German Candari Sta- P.I. Athletes Set New Record in Relays, The Tribune,  21 June 1935, p.11

From Catbalogan, Samar. The Cabletow Volume XLIII (Issue No.12) December 1967, https://repository.mainlib.upd.edu.ph/omekas/s/rare-periodicals/media/235361

62. Hurdler Supreme of the 1950s: FRANCISCA SAÑOPAL

The best and most successful Filipina hurdler of the 50s decade , was without a doubt, the Ilongga all-around athlete FRANCISCA SAÑOPAL. Born on 1 Jan, 1931 in the small barrio of Montinola, in San Joaquin town, Francisca, as a teen, was drawn to the different disciplines of Athletics, competing in throwing events, the sprints and relays, and the short hurdles.

These achievements would pave the way for her trailblazing international stints, competing in 2 editions of the Asian Games and the Olympics. She was a product of the Cebu Institute of Technology, that was renowned for its excellent women’s sports programs, producing a pool of runners, jumpers and throwers of world-class calibre, Some of its outstanding athletes include Asia’s fastest, Inocencia Solis, top broad jumper Visitacion Badana, and the young discus thrower, Josephine dela Viña.

She made her presence felt as a sprinter in the National Intercollegiate, Intersecondary, and Women’s Track & Field beginning in 1954, when she won the 100 meter dash. The next year, Sañopal took the limelight from national record holder Manolita Cinco of the University of Southern Philippines, when she broke her record by 0.2 seconds  at the 1955 National Open Track & Field Meet. The two would become dominant names in women’s hurdles for the next few years—and also the fiercest rivals.

Francisca Among the First Filipina Olympians

This led to her selection by the Philippine Amateur Athletic Federation to the 1956 Philippine Olympic Team—a historic and unprecedented one as it marked the first time that Filipinas will compete in the world’s premiere and biggest sporting competition. Also chosen to go to Melbourne for the Summer Olympics were her worthy competitor, Manolita Cinco and two swimmers, Jocelyn von Giese, and 13 year old Gertrudes Lozada, who turned out to be the youngest athlete of the games.

Coached by Jose Ravello, Sañopal and Cinco were actually entered in the 100 m. dash and the 80 m. low hurdles, but it was decided that they had better chances at the hurdles so they did not go thru with the sprint heats. There were only 22 athletes from 11 country participants, with the Philippines as the lone Asian entry.

 In the qualifying heat for the hurdles, Sañopal ran in Heat #4—the last heat that only had 5 participants. It was won by Australian Norma Claire Thrower (10.8 secs.), followed by the Russian Galina Bystrova (10.9 secs.), the French Marthe Lambert, (10.9 secs.), the German Maria Sander (11.1 secs). Sañopal was 5^th and last with a time of 11. 8 secs. Cinco fared no better, timing in at 12.1 secs. in placing 7^th and last in Heat#3. The Australian legend, Shirley Strickland won the 80 m. hurdle with a new Olympic record of 10.7 sec. trailed by Gisela Kohler of Germany (10.9 secs.) Thrower, who topped Sañopal’s heat, placed 3^rd in 11 secs. flat.

 Overall, Sañopal ranked 17^th from among the 22 athletes, while Cinco was second to the last. The Melbourne Olympics were a good experience for the 2 hurdlers, and upon returning home, the inspired Sañopal lost no time in training for the next important races schedules for 1957.

Hurdling for Honor, Among Others

It was at the 1957 National Intercollegiate, Intersecondary and Women’s Track and Field Championship that Sañopal would serve notice of her significant improvement and unparalleled athletic versatility. Held from 23-24 February 1957 at the Rizal Track-Football Stadium, Sañopal was entered by her school in 2 track races (the 80 m. hurdles, and the 100 m. dash)  and 2 throwing events (javelin throw and the shot put). She reached all the finals of those events, garnering various degrees of success.

As expected, she ruled the 80. m. low hurdles, winning the Gold in 12.4 secs, followed by schoolmate, Lilia Heramis in 12.5.  Manolita Cinco of USP settled for 3^rd, also with  12.5 seconds.

In the century dash, Sañopal placed second to the seasoned Inocencia Solis, clocking in at 13.3 secs., just 0.1 behind Solis. Up and coming sprinter Rogelia Ferrer of Manila Central University  was 3^rd in 13.4 seconds.

She then moved to the field events, where she threw the Javelin to a distance of 112’ 7 3/8” to claim Gold, with  Presentacion Juele of MCU a distant second with her 108’ 11 ¼” effort. Sañopal relegated the 1954 Asian Games bronze medalist Vivencia Sabido of CIT, who managed only 108’5”.

But she was not done yet—in her last event, she put the shot at a distance of  28’6” , good for 4^th place behind USP’s  Gloria Villanueva ( 33’ 6 1/8”), CIT’s Perla Pimentel

( 31’9”) and the comebacking Vivencia Sabido (29’ 1/8”).

 Most Outstanding Athlete of 1957

In 1957, the 2-day National Track & Field Championships were held in the first week of March. It proved to be the best season for Sañopal as she outclassed competition, capturing 3 Golds: first, for her pet event, the 80 m. hurdles, timing in at 12 secs. flat, pushing Cinco to 3^rd. Her 2^nd Gold was in the Javelin which she heaved at distance of 127 ft. 8 5/8 in., a full 9 inches farther than Corazon Barredo of the Bureau of Education.

Her 3^rd and last Gold was the women’s 4 x100 m. relay, where she and teammates  Lucrecia Casorla. Inocencia Solis, Visitacion Badana smashed the 50 sec. barrier, setting a new record of 49.6 secs. This was one of only 2 records set in the meet, so it was a very special win for the Cebu Tech amazons.

As a bonus, the sturdy Sañopal added a Bronze (13.3. secs.) to her medal harvest after placing 3^rd to Inocencia Solis (12.4 secs.) and Rogelia Ferrer (12.9 secs.)  in the 100 m. dash. For these extraordinary feats, Francisca Sañopal was singled out and acclaimed as the Most Outstanding Athlete of the National Open meet, and was honored with a trophy by P.A.A.F. meet officials.

Milestone Triumphs at the Asian Games

Though exalted as the most exemplary athlete in the country for 1957,  there was still that yearning for Sañopal to see how far she could push herself, by testing her limits against the best in the world. The Olympics had given her that glimpse, but she was still so inexperienced then, she needed more exposure to more intensive competition. In 1958, another opportunity opened, with the staging of the third Asian Games in Tokyo, Japan. 

At 27,  Sañopal was at the peak of her strength and power. She was entered in her favorite event, the 80 m. hurdles—along with Manolita Cinco-- as well as the relay races. The Philippine women’s team made an auspicious start when Visitacion Badana won the Long Jump Gold in the first day of the athletic competition.

Seven finalists entered the stadium for the finals of the 80 meter low hurdles that fateful day to get into their positions At the sound of the gun, 2 Filipinas ran the best race of their lives as they left their starting blocks to clear the hurdles before them en route to honor and glory for their country.

The highly vaunted hefty Japanese Michiko Iwamoto and Francisca Sañopal ran stride-for-stride, clearing the hurdles with precision all the way to the finish, and both crossed the line with identical 11.6 secs. –a new Games Record. The judges however, awarded Iwamoto the Gold medal based on the photo finish. Sañopal got the Silver, though Cinco somehow eased the loss by scooping the Bronze with her 12.1 secs. run.

Sañopal’s final race was the 4 x100 m. women’s relay.  Again, the strong Japanese team were figured to win. The strategy was to put the 2 fastest Filipinas—Inocencia Solis and Rogelia Ferrer---as the lead runners. Youngest member Irene Penuela will then take over and pass on the baton to Francisca Sañopal, known for her strong finishing kick. With the Japanese ahead, the Filipinas maintained their 2^nd place position against the fast-catching Indians, with Sañopal as anchor. Japan won the Gold as expected, while the Filipinas secured the Silver with a new Philippine record of 49.0 secs, bettering their 3rd place finish in the last Asiad. The dethroned Indians came in 3rd place.

Francisca Sañopal would return to the Asian Games and run the same events a second time—but this time, with biggest difference. The event was the 1962 Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia, and the setting was the National Senayan Stadium where all athletic sports were contested.

In the 80 m hurdles, she had to run against the strong Japanese Olympian, Ikuko Yoda who won the race in 11.6 secs. Only split seconds later, Sañopal and another Japanese, Kiyoko Shimada, crossed the finish line with the same time of 12 secs. This time, Sañopal was awarded the Silver, for a rare back-to-back finish.

The best race of her career was saved for last—the 4 x100 m. relay. This event has been monopolized by the Japanese women for so long, but little did they know that the Philippine quartet had something in their sleeves. The 4 women included 2 tried and tested veterans—Solis and Sañopal—with 2 young, brilliant sprinters: Aida Molinos and the stellar Mona Sulaiman.

The women were strategically arranged from the one with the slowest time, to the fastest, hence: Molinos, Sañopal, Solis and Sulaiman. With excellent running and precise baton passes, the Filipina squad matched the Japanese with every stride resulting in an exciting photo-finish.

When the times were shown on the screen,  the Philippines completed the race in 48.67 secs, a new national record, with the Japanese registering 48.74 secs.—just a mere  .07 secs. away. The Filipinas had won the Gold! The Indons came in 3^rr in 50.71 secs., a cause for celebration for the host country.  

The victory was a fitting punctuation  to Sañopal’s sensational athletic career. After a jubilant welcome for the returning heroes, the self-effacing 31 year old Sañopal faded quietly from the limelight. In 2014, when a rare gathering of former Olympians organized by the Philippine Olympians Association (POA) only her rival Manolita Cinco, was there to share her reminiscences of their glory days.No more was heard about Francisca Sañopal, not even her passing—the day she crossed over her last hurdle to the great beyond—and to immortality--as the most accomplished Filipina hurdler of her time.

SOURCES:

The Filipino Athlete (Official Publication of the P.A.A.F.), 1957 National Intercollegiate, Intersecondary and Women’s Track and Field Championship, Apr. 1957, p. 8

The Filipino Athlete (Official Publication of the P.A.A.F.), 1957 National Track & Field Championships, May 1957, 3, p. 3-7

The Filipino Athlete (Official Publication of the P.A.A.F.), C.I.T. Takes Women’s Title, June 1958, p. 8-13

 Francisca Sañopal Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francisca_Sanopal

Athletics at the 1958 Asian Games, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athletics_at_the_1958_Asian_Games

Athletics at the 1962 Asian Games, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athletics_at_the_1962_Asian_Games

Athletics Podium, https://athleticspodium.com/champs/asian-games/1958-asian-games

“Progress in Sports”, Progress, 1955

1956 Official Olympics Program, Melbourne, Australia

61. CARLOS, THE KING RETIRED, by Jose Quirino, The Sunday Times Magazine, 1964

“Undoubtedly, the greatest cager the country ever produced.." 

by Jose Quirino, STM, 16 Aug. 1964, p. 30-32

Last April 15, CARLO MATUTE LOYZAGA, Asia’s exponent of the dash and dribble game, retired from the basketball scene after taking part in 12 international cag competitions since 1951. Just about everybody who knows something about basketball, including the superstar’s former detractors, said something about Philippine basketball not being the same again without the Great Difference.

Caloy’s retirement was the end of a long journey. The journey spanned 15 years of of spectacular performance on the mahogany court—here and abroad. In those 15 years King Caloy made 12 Philippine teams. He was the spark plug of the local quintet in all four Asian Games (1951, New Delhi; 1954, Manila; 1958, Tokyo; and 1962, Jakarta) where the Philippines maintained its supremacy as Asia’s cage champions.

 Loyzaga was one of the country’s mainstays in two Olympics (1952 in Helsinki; 1956 in Melbourne); two world championships (1954 in Rio de Janeiro; 1959 in Santiago, Chile) and two Asian Basketball Conference Championships (1960 in Manila; 1963 in Taipei).

 RP’s finest

In 1962, The Manila Times conducted a poll among basketball experts to chose the country’s greatest basketeer of all time. Four of the jurors—Lou Salvador, himself an outstanding cager of yesteryear (he holds the record of 116 points in one game), handily picked Loyzaga. Only one chose Jacinto Ciria Cruz, yesteryear’s “Jumping Jack”.

Says Tony Siddayao of the Times: “There is no basis for comparing Loyzaga with the greats of the past. Unlike baseball and several other sports, basketball has undergone revolutionary changes over the last 2 generations and individual merits can only be measured in relation to the period they belong.

 “Man for man, the Ciria Cruzes and the Borcks and the Martinezes might have been superior to Loyzaga in respect to the position they played. But then Loyzaga handled all 3 slots (center, forward, guard), probably not with same devilish ability but certainly with as remarkable effectiveness….when Loyzaga was named utility man of the Philippine team, he gave new meaning to the term, for his was the supreme honor of being able to be assigned to any position.”

 Augusto Villanueva, sports editor of The Daily Mirror, chimed in (upon earning of Caloy’s retirement): “Philippine basketball lost its toughest pillar last night with the retirement of Carlos Loyzaga, undoubtedly the greatest cager the country has ever produced.”

Loyzaga Day

Probably the greatest accolade ever rendered to a Philippine athlete occurred last July 7 when the Manila Industrial-Commercial Athletic Association (MICAA) observed a “Carlos Loyzaga Day.” A special award was presented to the Great Difference on that day by Atty. Jose G. Syjuco, MICAA president, amidst impressive rites held at the Rizal Memorial Basketball Coliseum, scene of many a Loyzaga triumph.

“It was one of the greatest moments of my life when I received the award, “Caloy told us sheepishly during a recent interview. He cited four unforgettable moments in his life, namely:

1.     When he was hailed as a conquering hero of the RP cage Team from the 1954 World Cage Tournament from Brazil.

2.     The day he joined YCO basketball team in 1954, just after that year’s national open tournament and just before the Brazil cage war.

3.     The day he got married to Victoria Cuerva in 1957.

4.     The day his first child (Joaquin Loyzaga II, named after Caloy’s father) was born at the Lourdes Hospital on Aug. 28, 1958, just one day before Caloy’s 28^th birthday.

 Manileño

Caloy was born in Intramuros, Manila on Aug. 29, 1930, the third among 4 children of the late Joaquin Loyzaga, one of the best football players of the Bohemian Athletic Club, and the former Carmen Matute. Caloy’s father died in 1935 when Caloy was just five.

The other Loyzagas are: Nieves (now Mrs. Carlos Merlo), 39; Joaquin Jr. 37, now working as a chemist in Sydney, Australia; and Eduardo, 31, who is also in Sydney.“Late this year, I shall take my family to Sydney to visit the folks,” Caloy disclosed.

Loyzaga’s immediate family include his wife, Victoria, and their 3 children, Joaquin II, 5; Ernesto 2; and Carmen, 1.

 A colleague of the late Joaquin Loyzaga said, “Caloy inherited the aggressiveness and fighting spirit of his father.”

Caloy underwent early schooling at De La Salle grade school and his secondary education at San Beda College. One semester before he could finish his commerce degree at San Beda, he quit schooling to concentrate his talents on basketball.

 Start of a great career

Loyzaga’s long journey as a basketball superstar started in 1947 when he was a spindly-legged, 130 pound six-footer who was called “Mr. Toothpick” by his friends.

“You’ll never amount to anything on the basketball court,” said one cynic to Loyzaga when the former saw the latter’s maiden attempts to shoot the ball at the basket. But Loyzaga persisted in practicing on the mahogany. Besides, somebody had told him that one way of improving his frail physique was to play basketball.

 Today, despite injuries from countless cage competitions, Loyzaga would make an ideal model for Charles Atlas body-building poster. The six-foot-three Caloy weighs 200 pounds of solid flesh and muscle.

The first quintet which Caloy joined was the Tervalac team. Surprisingly enough, he led his team in the scoring parade. Mr. Toothpick was turning inot a valuable cage asset.

 Sobriquets

In the course of his basketball career, Loyzaga has earned several sobriquets including such terms as The Great Difference or The Big Difference (popularized by sportscaster Willie Hernandez), High Pockets,King Caloy, Stupendous Spire and El Leon.

 When he was new in the game, he earned the title of Promfet because according to his team mates, he then had a playing style similar to that of Promfet , one of the stars of the Canadian Red Roses, a terrific team that invaded the Philippines 15 years ago.

After leading the Tervalac team at the Intergovernmental Playground Championship in 1947, Caloy powered the same quintet to an unbelievable victory over the star-studded Black and White team which was then coached by Gabby Fajardo.

 Fajardo was so impressed by Loyzaga’s playing style that he persuaded Caloy to join the PRATRA Juniors to the MICAA title: the following year, he became a senior and was the sparkplug of the team that won the MICAA and the National Open crowns.

 25 Gold Medals

It was in 1951 when he became a member of the Philippine team for the first time and distinguished himself in the 1^st Asian Games in New Delhi. That same year, he led the San Beda Red Lions to the NCAA gonfalon. In fact, he led the Lions to four NCAA titles and one national title in 1952. All told, Caloy has earned 25 gold medals since his first participation in the Asian Games in 1951.

Says The Mirror’s Augusto Villanueva: “A strong rebounder, heavy court general, and a brilliant scorer, Loyzaga was the sparkplug of every team he played for the moment he graduated from the junior ranks in 1949.”

It was Loyzaga who powered th the YCO Redshirts in an unprecedented seven straight National Championships (1954-1960) and five MICAA cage crowns. Moreover, Loyzaga has won the title of Mr. Basketball for three times and Athlete of the Year one time.

In the 1954 World Cage Tournament in Brazil, where the Philippines placed third, Loyzaga was chosen one of the 10 best cagers in the world by sportswriters who covered the games. What’s more, he was the only Filipino who scored over 100 points (his total for the tournament, in fact was, 147).

What lies ahead

What lies ahead for this superstar? “I have no complaints,” he told us. “Life has been good to me. Despite my injuries, I feel fine—as long as I’m not playing on the hardcourt.”

Caloy lives with his family in a comfortable bungalow at Baesa, Quezon City.  “I used to raise lovebirds but I abandoned this hobby because the birds kept multiplying and I had to keep adding rooms to our house,” he laughed.

Caloy is now a successful underwriter with the Metropolitan Insurance Co., and a trouble shooter at Elizalde International. But more than the visible signs of prosperity which spell success for the former toothpick, and more than the many medals won in international competitions, Caloy Loyzaga has finally found himself.

The last time talked to Caloy, we noted that he had attained genuine humility, he only genuine yardstick for real greatness. Caloy Loyzaga’s long journey has, indeed, ended.

***********

 POSTSCRIPT:

 BASKETBALL COACH

After Carlos Loyzaga announced his retirement in 1964, he embarked on a coaching career (he had been a playing coach for YCO until 1964), mentoring the UST Glowing Goldies (1964-1966) in the UAAP and the Manila Bankers  in the MICAA. He was the coach of the Philippine Team which captured the 1967 Asian Basketball Conference Championship. In 1968, Loyzaga was the coach of the national team that saw action in the basketball events of the Mexico Olympics. In the Phil. Basketball Association Games, he handled the U/Tex (1975-76)  and Tanduay Distillery (1977-79) cage teams.

 PUBLIC SERVICE

Loyzaga also forayed into government service, an elected member of the Manila Municipal Board (3rd district) and was in office from 1967-75.

 HONORS & RECOGNITIONS

1999 Philippine National Basketball Hall of Fame

2000 Philippine Sportswriters Association Athletes of the 20th Century award

2016 Philippine Olympic Committee Presidential Olympism Award

2023 FIBA HALL OF FAME

On June 2, 2023, CARLOS “Caloy” LOYZAGA  became the first Filipino player to be inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame, an auxiliary lead-up to the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup, co-hosetd by the Philippines.

SOURCES:

 “Progress in Local Sports”, PROGRESS Philippines, 1955 Edition

 Bocobo C., Celis, E. Legends and Heroes of Philippine Basketball, “Carlos Loyzaga”,pp. 93-95, by Christian Bocobo, 2004

 “King Carlos, Retired”, by Jose Quirino, The Sunday Times Magazine, 16 Aug. 1964, p. 29-33

 Carlos M. Loyzaga, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlos_Loyzaga

 2023 Hall of Fame, Carlos Loyzaga, FIBA Website, https://www.fiba.basketball/en/news/2023-hall-of-fame-class-carlos-%E2%80%98caloy%E2%80%99-loyzaga

 Other Photo Sources: PH Sports Bureau FB page, Philippine Passport Applications-Philippine Islands Vol. 17, PinoyMiler (Asian Games 1951 photo) , Rappler sports, Tiebreaker Times, screengrabs from Loyzaga FIBA Hall of Fame youtube video

 

60. The Great Difference: CARLOS M. LOYZAGA (1955-1963)

In 1955 CARLOS M. LOYZAGA ended his years as a San Beda Red Lion, after giving his college the prestigious Zamora Cup, given to 3-time winners of the NCAA cage tournament. It was a feat he helped accomplished in 1951, 1952 and in 1955, where he earned the monicker “the great difference”. The year before retiring from San Beda, Loyzaga had signed up with the multi-titled Filipino basketball team -- YCO Athletic Club--where he continued his dominance and find success in the country’s premiere basketball tournaments of the Manila Industrial and Commercial Athletic Association (MICAA).

Highlighting Loyzaga’s  decade of dominance are the following achievements, convincing reasons why he deserves to be called “the greatest Filipino basketball player of all time”.

 AS AN  YCO PAINTER AT THE NATIONAL OPEN AND THE MICAA (1956-1964)

Loyzaga rose to become its YCO's most famous player. As an  YCO Painter, he got to compete in the National Open Cage Championships that year, with Loyzaga helping capture the team’s 3^rd consecutive triumph. The National Open, one of the 3 “cage diadems” in basketball, was open to all private and public athletic clubs and top collegiate teams from around the country. 

The National Open went underway from 21-23 Jan., with 23 teams contesting the crown. In his appearance as an YCO Painter, Loyzaga helped clinch the title by defeating the 1955 MICAA champions 7-Up that had dethroned the YCOans that year with a final score of 78- 69. Mapua placed 3^rd, with UST in 4^th . They would defend their National Open title in 1957 and in the next 3 more years.

At the Manila Industrial and Commercial Athletic Association (MICAA) tournament held later that year from June 3 to July 11, 1956, the YCO Painters and the 7-Up Bottlers found themselves again tangling for the top title after hurdling 2 rounds--along with PAL, San Miguel Beer, Heacock’s, and Yellow Taxi.

In the first round, YCO soundly beat the defending champions 7-Up, 72-63. The crucial 2^nd round,  held on the Jul. 11, was won in dramatic fashion. At the sound of the buzzer to signal the end of the playing time, both teams were tied 56 all. The game went on a 5 minute overtime, with YCO dealing 7-Up team their final blow 63-58. In individual scoring, Loyzaga came in 4^th,  making 138 points in 9 games, or an average of 15.33 points per game, after PAL’s Leo Schweiger (23.86 ave.), SMB’s Rafael Barretto  (16.90), and 7-Up’s Adriano Mora (15.70).

 At its peak, the YCO Painters was such a dominant force, with Loyzaga steering his team to historic wins at the National Open Championship (7 consecutive national wins), and MICAA (7 titles, from 1954-1960).

 AS A 2-TIME OLYMPIAN (1956, 1952)

In 1956, Loyzaga once more donned the country’s tri-colors to represent the country at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia. He had participated in his first Olympics in 1952 at Helsinki, where the Philippines placed 9^th, a meritable performance that thrilled Filipinos back home. But in Melbourne, the Philippine team improved on their record by clinching 7^th place out of 15 country participants.

Loyzaga could have played in his 3^rd Olympics in Rome had he not sustain a broken wrist in an accident. He was so bent in joining his team mates  that he cried and begged  his coach to grant him permission to play for the Philippines, which his coach, understandably, could not give.

 4-TIME ASIAN GAMES MEDALIST (1962, 1958, 1954, 1951)

The Philippine winning streak at the much-followed basketball games at the Asiad continued with Loyzaga at the helm of the team. He had powered the team to its first Gold at the very 1^st Asian Games in New Delhi in 1951, followed by a second golden performance at the 1954 Asian Games before a jubilant home crowd.

But in 1958, the Philippines found a new competition other than Japan; Loyzaga and his team mates had to contend with another basketball power, Nationalist China. The Filipinos had easily disposed Thailand (97-40), Malaya (110-60), Korea (99-85) and Singapore (93-55) in their first 4 games. But in their next fight against China, the Filipino were defeated (88-93). In turn, Japan defeated Nationalist China in a game that went overtime 87-85. The Philippines came back when they beat Japan convincingly 90-83.

When all the wins and losses were tallied, the Philippines, China and Japan were tied with 4 games won and 1 loss each. The point margin system was applied in all the 5 games to determine the placements—with the Philippines as the clear winner, followed by Nationalist China, and Japan

The Philippine golden triumph continued in the 1962 Asian Games in Jakarta, when they routed perennial foe Japan, 103-67 before a record crowd  of 20,000. After Japan led with 6  points in the first 2 and a half minutes of play, the Filipinos rallied, taking the halftime with a 12 point lead, 40-28—and never looked back. Skipper Loyzaga was one of the top shooters in the finals with 15 points, while Narciso Bernardo topscored with 23 points, Eduardo Pacheco with 22, and Eddie Cruz contributing 19 big points.

2-TIME FIBA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP PLAYER (1959, 1954)

Four years after winning the FIBA World Championship Bronze in Brazil, Loyzaga had a second crack at another basketball world cup title when he was named to the team that went to Chile, the host for the games.The Philippines was in Group C that included powerhouse Bulgaria, Puerto Rico and Uruguay. The Philippines managed to beat Uruguay (68-59), before losing to Bulgaria (85-61) and Puerto Rico (76-63).

The Philippines would secure the 8^th position in the the play-offs by pipping United Arab Republic (66-65) in the first round, and Uruguay in the decisive 2^nd round (78-70).

·       The 1962 Philippine International Invitational Basketball Tournament

 For its active participation in the FIBA World Cup, the Philippines was chosen to be the venue for the 4th edition of the basketball championship. Unfortunately, then Pres. Diosdado Macapagal refused visas to participating members of socialist countries including Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union. The games were aborted and moved to Brazil. 

Instead, a FIBA-authorized Philippine International Invitational Basketball Tournament was held here in 1962, with 7 country participants: Australia, Nationalist China, Spain, Puerto Rico, Canada, U.S.  The demoralized Filipino led by Loyzaga could only placed 5th, beating Australia and China, and losing the rest of their games. The U.S. won the invitationals, with Canada, pulling a surprise in 2nd place, followed by Puerto Rico.

2-TIME FIBA ASIA CHAMPIONSHIP CHAMPION (1963, 1960)

Also formerly known as the Asian Basketball Confederation (ABC) Championship, the biennial continental tournament was meant to determine Asia’s best in basketball. The tournament served also as a qualifying event for the FIBA World Cup Championship and the Olympic Games. Loyzaga captained the team that placed 1^st in the inaugural Asia championship held in Manila in 1960, with Republic of China and Japan, in 2^nd and 3^rd places, respectively.

In 1963, at the FIBA Asia Championship in Taiwan (ROC), the Philippines scored a back-to-back victory, placing first again, followed by the Republic of China and South Korea. Since 2017, the championship has been renamed FIBA Asia Cup, with FIBA Oceania teams included. Played every 4 years, it has ceases to be a qualifying event for both the World Cup and the Olympics.

 This was to be the last  international outing for Carlos Loyzaga as he pondered on his retirement plan at age 34.

 SOURCES:

“Progress in Local Sports”, PROGRESS Philippines, 1955 Edition

Perez de Tagle, E. “Mighty Yco Keeps Open Cage Diadem for Third Straight Year”, The Filipino Athlete, The Official Publication of the Philippine Amateur Athletic Federation, Feb. 1956

 Perez de Tagle, E. “Yco Cagers Retain MICAA Title”, The Filipino Athlete, The Official Publication of the Philippine Amateur Athletic Federation, July 1956.

 “Philippine Basketball Deglamorized”, Philippine Free Press, 1962

 Bocobo C., Celis, E. Legends and Heroes of Philippine Basketball, “Carlos Loyzaga”,pp. 93-95, by Christian Bocobo, 2004

 Carlos M. Loyzaga, Wikipedia,

 Other photos: PH Sports Bureau FB page, Philippine Passport Applications-Philippine Islands Vol. 17, PinoyMiler, screengrabs from Loyzaga FIBA Hall of Fame youtube video,