67. The Complete Athlete: NIÑO RAMIREZ, The 1st Filipino Olympic Long Jumper

From Track to Tennis, Volleyball to Basketball, Hurdling to Swimming, He Excelled in All.

The sporting career of NIÑO T. RAMIREZ from the mid-1930s to early 40s was nothing short of spectacular. The gifted boy from Bohol pursued all kinds of sports---track and field, aquatics, tennis, volleyball and basketball –where, at his peak, exceled in all. Yet, not many remember this great, all-around Olympian, and his unparalled contribution to Philippine sports during the peacetime years.

Born on 16 January 1912,  much of his early life in the province remains undocumented. What we do know of his beginnings was that he competed for three schools in Manila who prized him for his athletic talents. University of Santo Tomas was the first to take note of Ramirez’s outstanding sprinting, hurdling and jumping ability. Offered a scholarship, he also joined the varsity basketball, volleyball and tennis teams who successfully represented the school in major interscholastic meets. He earned a reputation as a versatile athlete who can do all, play all.

For his outstanding all-around performance, Ramirez was accorded major letters at the Annual Santo Tomas Athletic Commencement Exercise on 10 March 1934, at the school gymnasium A Roll of Honor Varsity Cup was presented to his Track Team Capt. Primitivo Martinez, along with trackmates Rafael de Leon, Antonio Salcedo, Ben Oswald, Rodolfo Arguelles, Nino Ramirez, Indalecio Ilago.

 When the search for athletes to comprise the national team for the 1934 Far East Championship Games, Ramirez was naturally on UST’s list submitted to the P.A.A.F. But since the school already had a strong and solid racing team led by multi-awarded champions Rafael de Leon and Antonio Salcedo, Ramirez was tapped to focus on the lesser-known jumping events.

Coach Pedro Ablan, in charge of selecting members to the national track and field team, organized the athletes in groups. Surprisingly, Ramirez was considered only for the Hop, Skip and Jump event, along with Paulino dela Cruz, Jose Olores, and Amado Pascual. There was a separate group for the Running Broad Jump where dela Cruz and Olores were also shortlisted. On May 4, the members of the Far East Games Philippine Team were announced in the newspapers. Ramirez made his school proud by qualifying in the tryouts, and made it to his one and only appearance at the 1934 Far East Championship Games hosted by Manila at the Rizal Memorial Field from May 16-20.

 As expected, defending champion Japan dominated the Athletics, but Ramirez, now entered in the Running Broad Jump (known as Long Jump today) prevented an all-Japan podium finish by leaping to 6.96 meters, and winning the Bronze, behind Silver Medalist Masao Harada (7.26 m.) and Gold winner Naoto Tajima (7.30 m.), a 1932 Olympian. It was a good experience for the 22 year old, and the next two years saw him in deep training for the 1936 Berlin Olympics.

Just a few months later, on October 27, 1934, the Philippine Amateur Athletic Federation sponsored the American -P.I. dual track and field meet billed at the Jose Rizal Memorial Field to expose local athletes to international levels of competitive athletic events. A total of 111 athletes were entered, including Ramirez, who competed in the Interscholastic Championship, as there were no broad jumpers from the American team.

 From jumping, Ramirez went shooting balls for U.S.T. at the Santo Tomas Basketball League on 11 Nov. 1934. He donned his jersey for the New Comers Basketball Team, that clashed with 5 other teams, including the vaunted Alumni Team,  that counted future Olympic star Jacinto Ciria Cruz and future coach Herminio Silva as members.

It was in the “Big 3” Tournament  held on the 13^th of January 1935 that Ramirez made headline news. Participants were drawn from 3 major schools, National University, University of the Philippines, and University of Santo Tomas  that seceded from NCAA to form their own league in 1932. Representing UST, Ramirez competed in the Running Broad Jump and established a new Philippine distance record of 23 feet 2.5 inches (7.07 m.), obliterating the 22 ft. 11 in. national record of U.P.’s R. Evangelista .

As an icing on the cake, the UST  Basketball Team, of which Ramirez was also a member, copped the 1935 “Big 3” Varsity Basketball Title and National Varsity Championships.

 Barely a month after, on 7 February 1935, Ramirez again had to trade his spike shoes for tennis shoes to represent UST at the All Comers Tennis Singles championship at the Rizal court. He was one of the 23 ranking players selected by the Philippine Islands Lawn Tennis Association to play in the series, where he was matched against Max Bergman of Manila Tennis Club. He won his matches, together with UST schoolmate Bernardo Rojas.

Ramirez was given several accolades that year at the 1935  Santo Tomas Athletic Commencement Exercise held in March. He and national tennis ace Leonardo Gavia won runners-up honors to Primitivo Martinez who was named UST’s Most Valuable Athlete. Ramirez was also awarded several“diplomas de honor” for his achievement in Track and Field (new national record holder for Broad Jump), Varsity Basketball (Big 3 and National Champion), Tennis (All-Comers Tennis Champion), and Volleyball (Big 3 and national Champion).

It was back to serious business in 1936—an Olympic Year. Since the end of 1934, the P.A.A.F. had been planning the tryouts for the 11^th Olympic Games in Berlin, Germany, even entertaining the thought sending women athletes and swimmers. A series of qualifying races were held; the final track and field tryouts were scheduled so late on May 2.

On that day, Ramirez poured it on to win the Running Broad Jump, shattering the existing Oriental record of 24 ft., 10  13/16 in. owned by the Japanese C. Nambu, resetting it to 25 ft., 1 inch (7.6454 m.). When the list of track and field Olympians was finally released, only 5 names were picked: Veteran high jumper Simeon Toribio (P.A.A.F.);  hurdlers Miguel White (Mapua) and Teodoro Malasig (U.P.) sprinters Antonio Salcedo (U.S.T.), and Nemesio de Guzman (U.P.); and broad jumper Niño Ramirez (U.S.T.). The Philippine Olympic team barely had 2 months to prepare (including sailing time), as the Berlin Games were scheduled to open on 1 August 1936.

Niño Ramirez left together with coach Serafin Aquino, and the rest of the national delegation on Saturday, March 30, for Hongkong on board U.S.S. President Taft. They arrived on Monday where they had scheduled tune-up competitions with the Chinese. The next day, June 1, they boarded ss. Jean Laborde for France, arriving in Berlin 2 ½ weeks before the opening of the games on August 1.

Forty nine nations were represented in the 11^th Olympiad, and Ramirez was originally listed in both the 110 m. Hurdles and Broad Jump , but he only competed in the latter, his pet event. Ramirez thus, became the first Filipino to compete in the men’s long jump, which unfolded in the mid-morning of Tuesday, August 4. Coming into the field, he had a newly-registered best jump of 7.6454 m. to his credit, accomplished in the Olympic try-outs.

 Competing alongside him were 2 familiar names—Naoto Tajima and Masao Harada—the 2 Japanese who had stood on the medal podium with him at the 1934 Far East Games. Also in the fray was the current world record holder, the legendary American, Jesse Owens.

For the qualifying round, each jumper had three attempts to reach the required distance of 7.15 meters. Unfortunately, Ramirez faltered and failed in all his attempts to jump this distance, and was thus eliminated in the first round, together with the Japanese Harada.

Nevertheless, it was a great experience for Ramirez to have participated in the historic event that resulted in Jesse Owens’s dramatic victory over German Luz Long in “Hitler’s Olympics” which was meant to showcase superior Nazi power. Third was  the 1934 FEG champ, Naoto Tajima (Japan).

For Ramirez, there was still a lot to celebrate in 1936. A personal milestone was his graduation from the University of Santo Tomas where he earned an Associate in Arts certificate. Wishing to pursue a bachelor’s degree, he moved to Ateneo in 1937, where he resumed his illustrious athletic career. In 1938, Ramirez was in the Ateneo team that participated in the 1^st Inter-Collegiate Track and Field Meet held from Feb. 26-27 at the Rizal Track-Football Stadium. The best cinder path stars of NCAA champion Mapua Institute, Silliman University, National University, Jose Rizal College, San Beda College, La Salle College and even visiting American track stars like A. E. Olsen, R. M. Stanley, Le Roy Kirkpatrick, Sam Stolver, contested the first-ever intercollegiate title.

 In 28 January 1941, at the P.A.A.F National Decathlon, Pentathlon and Special Events,  Niño Ramirez, now affiliated with Far Eastern University, won the running broad jump with a leap of 22 feet 10-1/2 inches (6.97 m.) , besting Civico Granado of U. P., who tied with J. Canlas, also of FEU, for second and third.

The next month, the 3-year old University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) held a weekend track meet from Feb. 8-9 , where the 29-year-old Ramirez repeated his winning jump, stamping his supremacy in the field event. This was to be the last known competitive meet that Ramirez entered before the onset of World War II in the Philippines in December,

The War all but put an end to the brilliant careers of our sporting heroes, some killed in the war swimmer Yldefonso, hurdler White and vaulter Sujeco . His school contemporaries, sprinter de Guzman and cager Ciria Cruz suffered the same fate. Many others—like Niño Ramirez--- faded into the background, receding from the sports pages to spend their lives in anonymity and quiet.

Which is why, there are very few extant pictures of Ramirez; what his life was like in the 50s and even the date of his passing remain unknown. It was only in January 1978 that his name cropped up as part of the 20 outstanding Thomasian athletes inducted into the UST Sports Hall of Fame at the school gymnasium.

Then, in 2008, when Henry Dagmil qualified for the long jump in the Beijing Olympics, media dug up old records and finally remembered the pioneering exploit of Niño Ramirez, the first Filipino long jumper to make an appearance at the Berlin Games. Though it took 72 years ago for another Filipino to follow in his hallowed footsteps, it was still a magnificent feat to honor his legacy.

SOURCES:

Photo: At Big 3 Track, Field Meet, The Tribune, 13 Jan. 1935, p. 30

Photo: Del Torneo de la Big 3, La Vanguardia, 15 Jan. 1935

Olympic tryouts, Trackmen and Swimmers to compete tomorrow, The Tribune, 20 May 1932, p.7

Santo Tomas Athletic Commencement on Today, The Tribune, 10 Mar. 1934,  p. 11

Six Teams Compete in Sto. Tomas Basketball League, Opening Nov. 11, The Tribune, 9 Nov. 1934, p.11

El Equipo Olimpico de Pista y Campo, La Vanguardia, 15 May 1936, p. 6

Inter-Collegiate Track Meet, Saturday, Sunday, The Tribune, 25 Feb. 1938, p. 6

1941 UAAP Track Meet Over Weekend, The Tribune, 19 January 1941

National Decathlon Title Goes to Bob Russell, The Tribune, 28 January 1941

Far East Championships, GBR Athletics, http://www.gbrathletics.com/ic/fec.htm

The Graphic Magazine, 1936

1936 Official Report of the Xi Olympics, Berlin, Germany, LA84  Digital Collection

66. Post-War Belles of the Breaststroke: NORMA GUERRERO & LOLITA RAMIREZ, National Record Holders

The Philippine Women’s University was one of the first schools to have a competition-size pool—the Belen Perez Swimming Pool-- as part of its excellent facilities. It was no surprise then that since the 1930s, P.W.U. has been producing top women’s swimmers of the country who got to compete in national and international meets like the Far East Games, the Formosa-Philippine Dual Meet, and the Hongkong-Manila Interport Meet. Names like Estela Lozada, Aurora Suntay, Ester Garcia, the Abad Santos and Gonzaga sisters, dominated the headlines of sports news with victories in the pool, putting PWU on top of the swim heap over FEU, U.P. and the American School.

Add to this roster, two swim sensations NORMA GUERRERO and LOLITA RAMIREZ, both high schoolers, who continued the P.W.U. streak in the 1940s.

Ramirez was the toast of the Manila Women’s Swimming League, a competition formed in 1948 by the Philippine Amateur Athletic Federation. Since the majority of the leading female swimmers were high schoolers who regularly bested college  swimmers, the PAAF management committee decided to merge both participants in one student swimming league.

In the inaugural 1948 series, 5 schools (P.W.U., U.P., Mapa High, the American School, F.E.U.) and one independent group (Pandacan Swimming Club)  joined the league. Guerrero helped P.W.U. win the overall championship by winning her 200 m.  breaststroke event, thus installing herself as a national breaststroke champion (unfortunately her time was unrecorded,

In the first quarter of 1949, the National Women’s Swimming  Championships held with its very first finals on it opening day, Feb. 18: the 200 m. breaststroke event. P.W.U. was represented by Norma Guerrero and the youngster LOLITA RAMIREZ. Guerrero took the Gold with a time of 3:41.0 sec., while U.P.’s Encarnacion Portillo was a distant 2^nd at 3:47.4. secs. Ramirez was a revelation coming in 3^rd with her 3:48.9 secs. effort. This would be the start of a friendly feud between the schoolmates in the breaststroke event, which would result sometimes in a see-saw battle that saw them breaking each other’s records.

Norma Guerrero was the flag raiser at the opening of the 1949 Manila Women’s Swimming League on Sep. 6, 1949 at the Rizal Memorial pool. A strong favorite to defend her 200 m. breaststroke title, Guerrero was bested by her own P.W.U. team mate Lolita Ramirez, who broke her record not once, but thrice.  En route to grabbing the Gold Medal, Ramirez  first surpassed Guerrero’s record in the preliminary race with 3:33.2. mins.; at the Semis, she lowered her time to 3:30.4 mins. and then finally at the Finals, she clipped her own record down to 3:29.4 mins.

Before the final event—the women’s 4 x 100 m. relay--the score stood at 19-17 with Far Eastern University enjoying a 2 point lead over the defending champion P.W.U. The two champion breaststrokers, who were also good in the crawl stroke, were called upon to win the 3rd and 4th leg of the P.W.U. team. Leading off was the high schooler A.Rotaeche and Elvira Nonato. With Ramirez swimming third and with Guerrero as anchor, the P.W.U. team vanquished the F.E.U. ladies to keep the women’s league championship trophy.

The Guerrero-Ramirez rivalry happened again a few months later, on Nov. 26, at the 1949 Manila-Hongkong Interport Meet, when the Guerrero, representing Manila,  regained her record by doing a 3:27.8 mins. in the 200 m. breaststroke event.

The next year, at the 1950 National Intersecondary Meet held on the 3^rd of February, Ramirez lopped off a full 2 seconds from Guerrero’s record to win the Gold, in 3:25.8 mins. To her misfortune, the clocking was not recognized because only 2 stopwatches were used, instead of the recommended 3. Just two weeks later, Guerrero, competing at the 1950 National Open Swimming Championship, reset her official record to 3:25.8 mins.

On 15 June 1950, at the very first Philippine Sportswriters Association (P.S.A.) Annual Awards Awards held at Avenue Hotel , both Norma Guerrero and Lolita Ramirez were honored for their outstanding performance in Swimming, a well-deserved recognition for both ladies. Tennis great Felicisimo Ampon was named PSA Athlete of the Year.

After 1950, Guerrero seemed to have left swimming altogether to concentrate on fher collegiate studies. Before finishing high school, Lolita Ramirez represented Manila in the 1951 Manila-Hongkong Interport Meet and swam the finals of the 200 m. breaststroke event, finishing in 2^nd place to HK Swimming Association’s Kwok Kam Ngor, with a time of 3:29.5 mins.

After Ramirez’s  high school graduation, she and enrolled at the University of the East. There, the new U.E. collegian  continued to make waves , breaking all previous breaststroke records of her former schoolmate.

She registered a Philippine record for the 100 m. breaststroke, clocking in at 1:32.5 mins., set in Oct. 3, 1953,  during a dual meet La Fortuna MSL-Selection Dual Meet in Manila. Ramirez returned to the Women’s Swim League 11 says later and established a new national record for the 200 m. breaststroke, with a fast time of 3:13.7 mins. As of 1955, both records were still standing.

Guerrero and Ramirez would be the last 2 great breaststroke specialists to emerge from post-war Philippines. 1958 was the last time that a Filipina would make headway in the breaststroke event, with Victoria Cagayat winning the Bronze in the 200. m. breast. at the Tokyo Asiad in 3:09.3 mins. It would take almost 2 decades before another real breaststroker, in the person of the Nancy Deaño of Iloilo, would find multiple successes in the podiums of the Asiad and the Southeast Asian Games.

 SOURCES

The Filipino Athlete, Official Publication of the P.A.A.F, Iloilo City Colleges Retains National Swional Women’s Championship, April 1949, p. 3-4, 16.

The Filipino Athlete, Official Publication of the P.A.A.F, “The Manila Swimming League”, Nov. 1949.p. 3-6

The Filipino Athlete, Official Publication of the P.A.A.F.  “Records Committee-Swimming-National Records 149-1950 Season”, August 1950, p. 9

The Filipino Athlete, Official Publication of the P.A.A.F.  “Iloilo College Recapture Swimming Title, March 1951, p.13

65. 1972 Olympic Cyclist MAXIMO JUNTA JR.: One for the Road Race

The Philippines pins its medal hopes on 21-year-ol MAXIMO S. JUNTA Jr., the country’s lone entry in cycling at the Munich Olympics. A roadracer, and on occasions a trackster, Junta vies in the 200-kilometer road race and the 4,000-meter individual pursuit race following the pruning down of the cycling delegation by the National Olympics Committee.

Pedro Nicodemus, president of the Philippine Amateur Cycling Association, said that the PACA certified the sending of three cyclists: Rolando Guaves, Benjamin Evangelista and Junta. But the PACA’s selection came under fire from former president Geruncio Lacuesta who said that the “Philippines should send a road race team to the Olympics because it is the Asian champion in the event.”

Lacuesta added that the “tracksters” don’t have any chance in the Olympics because of their unfamiliarity with velodrome cycling.” The former PAC head batted for the sending of Cesar Filosofo and Dionisio Recafrente instead of Guaves and Evangelista.

Following Lacuesta’s blast at the PACA’s choices, the association’s board decided to recommend Junta, Filosofo and Recafrente but the NOC decided to retain Guaves, Evangelista and Junta. With the decision of the NOC to prune down the number of Philippine representatives to the Olympics, Evangelista and Guaves got the pruning knife with only Junta making it as the lone entry.

Junta, who learned the rudiments of cycling from his elder brothers, all cyclists, and from his father, another cycling enthusiast, will have his first test of Olympic competition. A seaman of the Philippine Navy, Junta is a battle-tested veteran of Asian competitions having seen action  in 1969 at the Sixth Asian Games where he finished sixth in the 200-kilometer road race; in 1970 at the Asian Games in Bangkok where he placed fifth in his favorite event; and at the 1971 Fifth Asian Games in Singapore, where he came out fifth, but his team got the Gold medal in the gruelling 200-kilometer road race.

Junta made the Olympics on his Silver medal finish in the 100-kilometer road race in Singapore; his brilliant performance as overall champion in the back-breaking nine-day amateur tour of the Philippines where he bested the best local cyclists in negotiating the 1,200 kilometer course; his First Place feat during the 39-km. time trial from Baguio to Manila; his performance at the Palarong Pilipino where he topped the opposition in his favorite event; and in the last road race trial where he came in ahead of Filosofo and Recafrente.

What are the chances of plucking a medal or finishing among the top cyclists of the Olympics? “Very slim,” said Pete Nicodemus, “But we will try our best,” he added.

The PACA president said that this is not the only Junta’s first Olympics experience but since he’s all alone, the burden of winning will be his sole responsibility. This pressure will tell on him in the clutches without teammates to hep him “pace” the road race. In case of an accident or a bicycle breakdown, Junta will have no teammates to rely on to finish the race.

Nicodemus added that for every second of delay, a competitor loses 15 feet and a major breakdown “might cost him the race.” The PACA head cited the disastrous defeat of Cornelio Padilla Jr. during the 1964 road race at the Tokyo Olympics where the Philippine bet was among the group of cyclists in the last lap of the race. He broke a chain and “missed our chance for a medal.”

And if these were not obstacles enough for Junta, he would have to familiarize himself with the “closed-circuit” road. Junta’s assets are his youth, staying power, and rigid training.

Junta said that “Olympics or no Olympics,” he continues his training which consists of several fast and furious whirls on the Quezon City elliptical road early in the morning. Then after a brief rest, he resumes his training in the afternoon with light calisthenics.

Nicodemus, as a parting shot added,”Junta is well-prepared for the Munich grinds. His chances of winning a medal or to finish among the top cyclists are now in the hands of God.”—TLR

MAXIMO JUNTA Jr. : How He Fared in Munich 1972

4,000 meter Individual Pursuit, 28^th Place. Time: 5 mins. 53.19 secs. at the Cycling Velodrome

184 kms. Individual Road Race. Held in closed circuit outside the Olympic grounds. He was with the main pack up to third lap when his bike chain jangled loose. After repair, he tried to catch up, but had another trouble (gear system) and was forced to quit. He was the 66^th cyclist to give up out of those who retired. Only 76 riders finished.

SOURCES:

Summing Up: Munich 1972, The Filipino Athlete (Official Publication of the P.A.A.F.), Oct. 1972

Cyclist Maximo Junta Jr.: One for the Road Race, The Sunday Times Magazine, 27 Aug. 1972

Elizalde, Salvador. “Two More Asian Cycling Marks Fall, Junta Wins” The Manila Chronicle, 9 Oct. 1967, p. 12

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