52. Long Jumper VISITACIÓN BADANA, 1ST Philippine Gold Medalist, 1958 Tokyo Asiad

The honor of winning the first Gold Medal for the Philippines in the 1958 Asian Games in Tokyo, Japan was the country’s top female jumper VISITACIÓN “Vessie” BADANA- RIBAGORDA, whose performance inspired the Philippine team to finish in 2^nd place overall, behind powerhouse Japan.

Born on 2 July 1937 to Pacifico and Ceferina Badana in the small barrio of Cogon Pardo, Cebu, Vessie was an athletic young girl who competed in inter-school meets in the province. She continued with these competitions in her teen years, where she got even better, prompting Cebu Institute of Technology (CIT) to offer her an athletic scholarship.

At that time in the 50s, CIT trained- female athletes were considered the best in the country, like Asia’s sprint queen Inocencia Solis, Asian games sprint/hurdler medalist Francisca Sanopal, Manolita Cinco and javelin thrower Vivencia Sabido. Initially, Badana was doing sprints and low hurdles, but her CIT coach, Dean Vicente Tigas had other ideas when they noticed her explosive starts, and how long her vertical leaps were, when she ran. Thus,  the 5’3”, 106 lb. athlete was trained to do running Broad Jump (now called Long Jump), which she found to her liking.

Her first major athletic break was in 1954, when, at 17, Badana was named to the national team to compete in the Broad Jump event of the 3rd Asian Games in Manila. The top Filipina jumper then was the unstoppable Inocencia Celis, but the best in the region were the Japanese. Sure enough, Yoshie Takahashi secured the Gold (5.68m), followed by teammates Atsuko Nambu (5.64m), and Mikiko Tazaki (5.36m) for a dominant 1-2-3 finish. Solis set a new Philippine record of  5.18 m. (17 ft. 1 and 1/8 in.) but that was good only for fourth place. Badana and promising jumper Salome Banate finished at the tail end of the broad jump competition.

The calibre of competition spurred Badana to do even better in the next year, and sure enough, at the next Intercollegiate Athletic Championship, she placed first in the Broad Jump, breaching the 17 ft, mark with a leap of 17 ft., 1 inch., just 1/8” shy off the national record. That feat was included in the Best Philippine Track and Field Performance for the 1955-1956 Season.

In 1957, Badana made her appearance in 3 major meets. She started the year in Baguio when she joined 4th PRISAA Meet in February. Badana convincingly won the Broad Jump with amazing 17 ft. 4 ¾ ins. Her region, Central Visayas captured the overall championship crown that year.

Later in  March, at  the 1957 National Track & Field in May, she won the Running Broad Jump at 17 ft. 3/8 inch. To prove how versatile she was, Badana also reached the finals of the High Jump, where she placed 4^th with a leap of 4 ft. 9 inches. Her CIT teammate, Lolita Lagrosas won Gold with  her 4 feet 11 7/8 inch effort. But it was in that year’s National Intercollegiate/Intersecondary and Women’s Track & Field Championships where she made headlines. She established a new Philippine record of 17 ft. 8 7/8 ins (5.387 m), surpassing Solis’s record that she set in the 1954 Manila Asiad. Solis was a distant 2^nd at 16 ft. 4 inches.

Badana’s place in the Philippine Team to the 1958 Asian Games was assured. The Games opened on 24 May and were played until June 1, 1958. Badana set the tempo for the Philippines when she competed for the Long Jump. The defending champion from Japan, Yoshie Takahashi who had won the past Gold with a jump of 5.68 m. was conspicuously absent. Only her Bronze medalist, Mikiko Tazaki, was a repeat delegate from Japan.

Mustering her courage and channeling all her power and energy, Badana jumped her best, and according to Japanese press reports, the Filipina “executed an astounding best broad jump to win the first Gold Medal in Track and Field for the Philippines”.  In fact, Badana accomplished her Personal Best and a new Philippine record of 5.64 m. or 18 ft. 6.05  inches)  Silver went to Tazaki (5.49 m.), an improvement from her Bronze finish in 1954, and the Bronze to Taipei’s Huang Soon-sang (5.32 m). It was said that the Japanese Sports Press had been “truly charmed” by her “refreshing friendliness.”

The Philippine delegation  went agog over the first Gold Medal Badana claimed for the country—and it took a woman to accomplish the feat. Inspired by her win, the Athletic Team---which went gold-less in Manila—won 2 more Golds, 4 Silvers, 4 Bronzes. Of the 49 medals brought home, Athletics contributed 11, thus redeeming their sorry performance in the last games. The Tokyo Asiad has been the most fruitful for the Philippines in terms of the total number of medals garnered.

Badana’s next stop was no less than the 1960 Olympics in Rome. Thirty international female athletes vied for the 12 Long Jump finalist spots. In the trials, Badana was the 16^th athlete to take her 3 jumps---she leaped to 5.38 m. on her 1^st attempt, 5.59 m. on her 2^nd attempt, while her 3^rd jump was fouled. When all the scores had been tallied, Badana’s 5.59 m.  jump (her 2^nd personal best), put her in 24^th position among the 30 preliminary finishers. She failed to advance, thus ending her one and only Olympic journey.

In her later years, Visitacion Badana married Porferio P. Ribagorda, a fellow athlete of note, who was employed at the Cebu Institute of Technology-University. They had 5 children: Ruth (now Abarquez), Evelyn (Ybas), Brenda (Abarquez) Ann (Bohol) and Gilbert Ribagorda.  Vessie also worked there in the school as the University Registrar until her passing on 6 Dec. 1993, at the age of 56.

Badana’s 5.64 m. National Record would endure for over a decade as she paved the way for a new generation of women long jumpers to follow in the sport: Lydia Rosalada Silva-Netto  who broke her record with a leap of 5.70 m. ( reset to 5.71 m. in 1970 by her contemporary Lolita Lagrosas), Elma Muros-Posadas, and the spectacular  Marestella Torres-Sunang, the current record holder at 6.72 m. achieved at the Kazakhstan Open, Almaty, Kazakhstan on 4 July 2016.

SOURCES:

Special thanks to Ma'am Gwen Bohol, granddaughter of Visitacion Badana-Ribagorda, for furnishing additional information to this article.

Best Philippine Track & Field Performance 1955-56 Season, The Filipino Athlete, 1956

1957 National Track & Field Championship, National Intercollegiate-Intersecondary & Womn’s Track and Field Championships. The Filipino Athlete, May 1957 issue, p.7

Central Visayas Wins 4^th PRISAA Meet, The Filipino Athlete, June 1957 issue, p. 7

The 1958 National Intercollegiate Track & Field Championships, The Filipino Athlete, 1958

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athletics_at_the_1958_Asian_Games

Olympiad Long Jump Results: https://www.olympedia.org/results/60024

Asian Games Manila Philippines 1954, https://atfs.org/wp-content/uploads/Asian-Games-1954-Manila.pdf

51. Sprinter and Hurdler CONSTANTINO J. ALAMBRA: Far East Man of Speed

The 1930s decade spawned many sprinting stars, thanks to the athletic programs of the United States Army Philippine Division for their Filipino scouts and recruits.  Every year, the McKinley Games, consisting of track and field and swimming events, were held to test the sporting skills and strengths of both the U.S. and Filipino army men.

Many products of these games went on to become national athletes that competed in Olympics and major regional sporting competitions like medalists Miguel White (hurdler), Teofilo Yldefonso (swimmer), Nemesio de Guzman (track),  and Far East Games champ Miguel Sujeco (pole vaulter). Add to this list the name of CONSTANTINO J. ALAMBRA, who made a name for himself as both a hurdler, sprinter and relay specialist at the Far East Championship Games.

Very little is known about Alambra’s life before he became an athlete. Like many able-bodied young men out to find their place in the sun, Alambra applied, and was taken in by the U.S. Army Phil. Division, as member of the Philippine Scouts. It was in the McKinley Games that his running talent was discovered when he began winning various events from the quarter-mile run (400 m) to shorter sprints, and the hurdles. Alambra was considered a major rival of the celebrated hurdler/sprinter Miguel White, and they have crossed tracks many times.

In 1929, the Army fielded him in the Philippine National Athletic Meet where Alambra ruled the 400 meter run. He duplicated that feat in 1930, and established a National Record of 51.0 secs. With that feat, he also earned a ticket to the 1930 Far East Games held in Tokyo, Japan, where he was entered in 3 events.

Alambra bombed out of the 200 meter dash but captured two team Silvers for the 4 x 200 m. Relay (with German Candari, Anselmo Gonzaga, and David Nepomuceno) and the 4 x 400 m. Relay (with Candari, Gonzaga and Miguel White), all won by Japanese athletes who managed to keep the athletic championship title. That year’s Far East Games would be known for the sorry performances of the Filipino athletes who could only bag 2 Golds, won by Felizardo Casia (200 m. hurdles) and Simeon Toribio (high jump).

P.A.A.F. officials lost no time in revitalizing the sports program to ensure that this would not happen again. After all, the Philippines was poised to host the next Far East Games in 1934, followed by the the staging of the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin.

The 1931 Philippine National Athletic Meet was once again held in February, with the best athletes from the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) , the Army, and the Bureau of Education. Defending champion Alambra was the heavy favorite to win the 400 m. race. One more win could earn him the chance to own the P.A.A.F.  Silver Cup permanently, as he had already won the same event twice in  the past 2 years. He breezed thru the trials and was supposed to run on the final day of the competition. Unfortunately, he developed cramps and pulled out of the Finals, allowing NCAA stand-out Silvino Cristobal to take the quarter-mile run.

Alambra took the loss in stride and focused on his training that included travelling to Iloilo and Negros Oriental in November 1933, along with fellow McKinley athletes to give exhibition and compete against the best athletes of the provinces. His efforts bore fruit as by the end of April 1934, the P.A.A.F announced that he had been shortlisted as one of the 71 athletes, to be quartered in De La Salle College as aspirants for the Philippine Olympic Team.

The candidates were divided into groups and assigned a Coach to oversee their over-all training. After their training, they will run in qualifying races against each other to determine the final members of the Philippine team. Coach Pedro Ablan was assigned to groups of athletes who were proficient in running all races that covered the 400 m distance: 400 m. flat race, 400 m. hurdles, 4 x 400 m. (1600) relay. Alambra was in this elite group that included names like Miguel White, Nemesio de Guzman, Jesus Roa, Serafin Estrada, and German Candari.

Alambra triumphed in the 400 meter hurdles, upsetting Miguel White who came in 2^nd, with Roa in 3^rd. In the 400 m. race, however, Candari smashed Alambra’s national record of 51 secs., lowering it down to 50.2 secs. In the 4 x 400 m. relay, Alambra teamed up with Candari, White and de Guzman to tie the record that they themselves set early in April. Their clocking of 3:20.0 mins broke the games record of 3:24.06 secs by the Japanese in the last Far East Games.

On 4 April 1934, the names of the members of the new Philippine athletic team to the 1934 Far East Games in Manila were announced—and Alambra was high up on the list. He has made it again to his second Oriental Olympics, this time, happening in his home turf of Manila.

Hopes and spirits were high as the 1934 Games opened in the heart of Manila. After days of intense competition, host nation  Philippines, again took second place overall in Athletics after Japan. This time though, Filipinos claimed the other seven titles and had a clean sweep in the 400 meters—in the 400 m. hurdles, Miguel White denied his arch-rival the Gold, and this time, Alambra had to settle for the Silver medal, but still ahead of Japan’s Masao Michihara, the Bronze medalist.

The 400 m. flat race saw the Filipinos winning the top 3 places with German Candari breaking the 50 sec. barrier with a 49.8 sec. clocking, followed by Nemesio de Guzman and Serafin Estrada. In the 4 x 400 m,, the Philippine team (Alambra, Candari, de Guzman, White) won the exciting match with 3:20.3 mins, just a hair’s breadth ahead from Japan which finished in 3:20.5 mins.Though the Philippines still placed 2^nd to Japan, our athletes’ performance was way better than the last edition.

 Alambra was touted as a possible Philippine Olympic team member for the 1936 Berlin Olympiad, but in the end, only 4 runners were sent to Germany: Miguel White, Nemesio de Guzman, Antonio Salcedo and Teodoro Malasig. It was in Berlin that White placed 3^rd in the 400 m. hurdles and won a rare Bronze for the Philippines.

With the end of the major athletic tournaments, Alambra buckled down to focus on his family. He took on a wife, Mariana Japson, an Ilocana. A son, Fermin, was born to them in 1939. In 1940, Alambra was appointed teacher of Leyte High School by the Director of Education, Celedonio Salvador. 

Things were going well until the War intervened. Lt. Constantino Alambra was called to active duty and died defending the country. His name, along with 51 other athlete heroes, is inscribed a bronze plaque that was unveiled on 17 July 1951, on the wall of the coliseum facade inside the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex. It was put up during the term of president Jorge Vargas of the  Philippine Amateur Athletic Federation.

 SOURCES:

Friedlander, Alfred. “Results of the Philippine National Athletoc Competitions”, Graphic Magazine, 18 Feb. 1931, p. 22

“3 Swimmers, 1 Track Man Leaving for Visayas This Morning”, La Vanguardia,  27 Nov. 1933. P.9

“71 candidates are quartered aspirants for the P.O. Olympic Team at La Salle College”. Tribune, 24 Mar. 1934, p. 10

“Three Record were Improved in the Final Tests”, Tribune, 30 Apr. 1934, p. 10

Alinea Eddie, “For Flag and Country: In Sports and in War”, Business Mirror, 28 Aug. 2022.  https://businessmirror.com.ph/2022/08/28/for-flag-and-country-in-sports-and-in-war/

Alinea, Eddie, “A Tribute to Sports War Heroes”, Philboxing.com. 13 June 2013. http://m.philboxing.com/news/story-84257.ht

50. Welterweight Boxer MANFREDO ALIPALA, Lone Gold at the 1962 Jakarta Asiad

The 1962 Asian Games in Jakarta were the first to be held in the new 1960s decade from Aug. 24 to Sep. 4, 1962. Even with Japan wresting the boxing championship from the Philippines  in the last 1958 Tokyo Games, hopes were fresh for the 6 young Filipino boxers to deliver more medals.

Leading the charge was a Far Eastern University standout student boxer, MANFREDO Panes ALIPALA (b.  25 Oct. 1938) of Murcia, Negros Occidental, son of Moises Alipala, the municipal chief of police, and Consuelo Panes, school principal of Murcia Elementary School.

“Noning”, as he was called, grew up in Bacolod, and attended the West Negros College. He then went to Manila to pursue his higher education at the Far Eastern University, to take up a Business Administration course. The university was known for its excellent amateur boxing program so the athletic freshman joined the team and proved to be an excellent student, amassing wins in major interscholastic meets.

This led to Manfredo being sent as the FEU entry to the national open boxing championship. The 5’8” student athlete ruled his welterweight class (67 kg.) , which gave him a slot in the Philippine boxing team that went to Indonesia for the 1962 Asiad.

The boxing matches were held at the the Senayan Tennis Stadium in the last weeks of August. Alipala breezed through the rounds of 16, then made it to the  quarterfinals, and all the way to the semifinals.

Now, the only boxer standing in the way of a Gold Medal was the formidable Japanese opponent, Kichijiro Hamada, 4 years his junior and inches taller. But the tough Alipala held his ground and, at the end of the 3 rounds, was announced as the winner. He had secured the one and only boxing Gold for the Philippines in the 1962 Jakarta Games—one of only 7 that year--with the Silver going to Hamadas, and the Bronze, shared by Korea’s Choi Song-keun with Singto Jamjitman of Thailand.

 Incidentally, three team mates, bantamweight Jose Ramirez, featherweight Egino Grafia and lightweight Catalino Arpon contributed 3 Bronze Medals to the Philippine harvest.

Two years later, Manfred Alipala was at the head of the Philippine Olympic delegation proudly bearing the  country’s flag during the 1964 Tokyo Olympics parade of nations at the opening ceremonies. Joining him in the boxing campaign were Dominador Calumarde (flyweight), Arnulfo Torrevillas (bantamweight), Anthony Villanueva (featherweight), Rodolfo Arpon (lightweight), and Felix Ocampo (light-middleweight), with their able coach, Celestino “Aling” Enriquez.

 When the boxing preliminary matches commenced, Alipala subdued Iraq’s Al-Kharki Khalid. In the round of 16, he suffered a surprise defeat in the hands of Kichijiro Hamada, the same boxer whom he had conquered in Jakarta 2 years earlier. Despite this setback,  Anthony Villanueva saved the day for the boxers by winning a historic Silver.

A year after the Olympics, Alipala turned pro, fighting matches against Filipino boxing greats like  Eduardo Canete, Fil Ravalo and Phil Robinson. In the late 60s, he chased Oriental and World titles in the welterweight and middleweight class against boxers in the region like Korea’s Ki-Soo Kim and Hawaii’s Takeshi Fujii. He finished his professional career with a modest record of 3 Wins (1 by a knockout) and 8 losses.

About his personal life, Alipala was first married to Corazon N. Villanueva (d.2012), sister of Olympic silver medalist Anthony Villanueva, and his 1964 Tokyo team mate. Together, they had 4 children: Mariela, Manfriela, Manfredo Jr, and Mancor Alipala. After the couple's separation, he married Sebastiana Taguines and moved to Tarlac. This union produced Manbie, Marinette and Mylove Alipala.

Post-Olympics, Alipala held a few security jobs to provide for his growing family. After retirement, Alipala was taken in by the Philippine Sports Commission under chairman Mel Lopez, as a consultant. He and his family settled in barangay San Roque, in Tarlac City, Tarlac.

“My father lived a simple life, and  shied away from the limelight”, recalls daughter Manfriela.  “He was a nice person to everyone, especially to his friends in Bacolod.” At age 68,  boxing great Manfredo Alipala quietly died in his sleep, 8 Oct. 2006, and was interred at the Garden of Peace Memorial Park in nearby barangay Sapang Maragul.

SOURCES:

Information and pictures, courtesy of Manfriela Junet Alipala, daughter of Manfredo Alipala.

Alipala, Asiad gold medalist, dies at 68.(Sports News)(Obituary)Manila Bulletin, October 19, 2006 | Copyright

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manfredo_Alipala

49. Partner-Perfect: PATRICIA B. INGAYO, All-Around Tennis Ace (active mid 1950s-1971)

The versatile tennis player PATRICIA Bengson INGAYO (b. 14 Apr. 1937/d.11 Jul. 2013) possessed such depth of skills that allowed her to play and win medals in Singles, Women’s Doubles, Mixed Doubles and Team events. At the peak of her performance, she medalled consecutively in 3 Asian Games campaigns in all tennis events, and figured in the finals of several editions of the Philippines Open International Championships, founded in 1918 (later known as PHILTA International Championships).

Patricia Yngayo was born in Ermita, Manila,  the daughter of Lope Yngayo, and his wife, Salud G. Bengson who were married on 9 Jan 1935. Originally from Cebu, Yngayo went to the University of the Philippines and played school tennis. He became a national and Metropolitan tennis champion who played in the Davis Cup with Guillermo Aragon against Austria in May 1928. He later became a coach and trained the Philippine Davis Cup team. Lope Yngayo was certainly an influence for Patricia to take up the sports of tennis, and her early competitions revolved around tennis tournaments organized by community clubs.

1958 was the turning point of Yngayo’s tennis career when, in the finals of the Philippine International Open Tennis Championships, she barged into the Women’s Single’s event and placed second to the great Desideria Ampon—who would be, for the next years, her one and only greatest rival. In the next years --1959, 1960, 1966, 1969, 1971—Ampon would relegate Yngayo to a runner-up finish, except in 1970 where American Ceci Martinez beat her in the finals. Yngayo never won the top women’s singles title in this Manila-based tournament.

Yngayo and Ampon were named as the Philippine delegates to the women’s tennis competition at the 1958 Asian Games in Tokyo, Japan. She and Ampon made it to the Women’s Doubles---and bagged the Silver, won by Japan’s  Sachiko Kamo and Reiko Miyagi. In the Mixed Doubles, she and partner Miguel Dungo reached the finals and claimed the Silver medal. It was in the Doubles Events that Yngayo was most successful in the Asian Games, winning medals in succession in Tokyo, Jakarta and Bangkok through her perfect partnership with Desi Ampon.

In the 1962 Asian Games in Jakarta, Yngayo finally annexed an individual medal to her collection, winning Bronze in the Women’s Singles, shared with compatriot Desi Ampon, after 2 Japanese—Akiko Fukui and Reiko Miyagi—who won Gold and Silver, respectively.  The Yngayo-Ampon tandem were also triumphant in the Women’s Doubles and the Team Event, taking home the Bronze.

Her final 1966 Asian Games in Bangkok, Thailand yielded 2 precious Silvers in the Women’s Doubles (with Desi Ampon) and Mixed Doubles (with Federico Deyro), and Bronze in the Women’s Team. In all, Yngayo—in tandem with Ampon, Dungo and Deyro—amassed 8 medals—4 Silvers and 3 Bronzes in the quadrennial games. Add to that her individual Bronze in the Women’s Singles—and that makes her the most productive Filipina tennis player in the Asian Games to date.

The bemedalled Patricia Yngayo may not have won an individual tennis title or an individual tennis gold in her lifetime, but as they say, victory is not just about coming home with Golds. It is also about coming back stronger, rebounding with resilience in the relentless pursuit of excellence. In her competitive years, Yngayo demonstrated all that, and more—proving her status as one of the few all-around women tennisters of the country. The accomplished tennis ace passed away at age 76, after a lingering illness.

SOURCES:

The Philippine Athlete, official publication of the P.A.A.F. October issue

Photo of Patricia Yngayo: Chino Trinidad + FB page

Lope Yngayo: https://mail.db4tennis.com/players/male/lope-yngayo

Asian Games Tennis medal winners Tokyo1958

 https://www.olympiandatabase.com/index.php?id=318659&L=1

Tennis at the 1962 Asian Games, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tennis_at_the_1962_Asian_Games

Philippines at the 1966 Asian Games, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippines_at_the_1966_Asian_Games

Photos of Miguel Dungo, Federico Deyro: https://ancestors.familysearch.org/en/LCXZ-18F/federico-deyro-1928-2006

48. EDGARDO “ED” L. OCAMPO: From Mr. Football to Mr. Basketball and Three Olympics

The country’s no. 1 sports—basketball—has produced outstanding hardcourt heroes from Pampanga through the years—names like Gerry Cruz, Hector Calma, Ato Agustin, Ponciano Saldana, Jojo Duncil come to mind. But one young Kapampangan stands out for being a legend in his own time, winning honors for the Philippines and for himself in not one, but two sports—football and basketball. It is in the latter discipline that he came to international prominence, earning the title of “Mr. Basketball of 1960” at age 22. His name: Edgardo L. Ocampo.

EDGARDO or "Ed" Luciano OCAMPO, born on 5 October 1938, was one of four children of the “father of modern Philippine Architecture”, the acclaimed Fernando Hizon Ocampo (San Fernando) and the renown Pampanga beauty, Lourdes Magdangal Luciano (Magalang). His siblings included Fernando Jr., also an architect, Oscar, his football team mate at Ateneo and sister Maria Pilar.

Basketball and football caught the young Ocampo’s fancy almost at the same time while enrolled at the Ateneo Grade School. He tried out for the school’s midget basketball team but did not pass the height requirement. Instead, he made it to the football squad where his brilliance in the field became much apparent. By age 17, Ed was acclaimed by sportswriters as “Mr. Football”. Ed qualified for the Philippine National Football team that toured Korea and Spain in 1956.

But in that same year, Ed broke his clavicle during a rough game, promoting doctors to advise him to take off from the sports for half a year. But even before those six months were up, Ed was back in school, joining the basketball tryout for the school’s NCAA (National Collegiate Athletics Association) team. This time, he made it after several Blue Eagles dropped out from the squad. Ed first played in the second round of the 1957 NCAA series.

At 5 feet 9 inches with a stocky built, Ed was certainly not considered tall enough in the sports where “height is might”. But his stamina,power, speed and quick reflexes made him the man to watch on the court. He managed to captain the Blue Eagles to two NCAA championships in 1957 and 1958.

One of his most memorable stints as a basketball collegian was when the Blue Eagles played against the tough Keh Nan team from China in the World Boy Scouts Jamboree benefit at the Rizal Coliseum. The Chinese dribblers were stunned when they saw Ocampo bounce his chest on the floor, intercept a pass and score on the same play. Six thousand roaring fans rose to their feet to give him a standing ovation.

Ed was recruited by YCO where he played as a guard, becoming a key figure in the team’s 1960 victory in the MICAA (Manila Industrial and Commercial Athletic Association), the top basketball league in the 60s. It was Ed who limited Narciso Bernardo of Ysmael Steel—then considered as the country’s best forward—to just 9 measly points in a critical game. For his performance, he was dubbed as “Mr. Basketball” in 1960.

At the peak of his career, young Ocampo was a member of the national basketball team 4 times, played in the world championship in Chile, competed in the Asian Basketball Conference and competed in 3 Olympics (1960-1968-1972). At the 1960 Olympiad in Rome, the Philippines placed a creditable 11th place. Newspaper accounts glowed at how “Ocampo played magnificently, with brilliant reprising and rebounding”.

What has also earned his fans’ admiration is his sportsmanship on and off court. Not even once in any game did he figure in a brawl. That is a feat in itself considering the nature of the fast and furious game. When his playing years ended, he turned to coaching, guiding the San Miguel Beermen, the Toyota Tamaraws and the Pepsi Bottlers of the PBA (Philippine Basketball Association). As coach, he led his teams to 4 championships.

Ed Ocampo was married to the former Maria Lourdes Trinidad. Pampanga’s basketball legend and Hall of Famer passed away on 29 July 1999 at age 54. He was inducted into the Ateneo Hall of Fame (1982), National Basketball Hall of Fame (1999), and the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Hall of Fame in 2013.

SOURCES:

Iron Man of Basketball, The Sunday Times Magazine, Vol. XVI No. 23, 15 Jan. 1961

Ed Ocampos' Views on Shackling Shin. The Sunday Times Magazine, 4 Dec. 1970, p. 37

Edgardo L. Ocampo:Basketball Olympian. Views from the Pampang. https://viewsfromthepampang.blogspot.com/2010/12/227-edgardo-ed-l-ocampo-basketball.html

Eduardo Ocampo. Legends and Heroes of Philippine Basketball. By Christian Bocobo and Beth Celis. p. 110

The Greatest Basketball Team Ever? istoryadista.net. https://www.istoryadista.net/2012/09/the-greatest-philippine-basketball-team.html

47. JOSEPHINE “Big Jo” DE LA VIÑA and Her Still-Unbroken 54-Year-Old Discus Throw Record.

The discus throw record of Josephine De La Viña has stood for 54 years, without a doubt, the most enduring record in Philippine sports history. It is for this reason that “Big Jo” is regarded as the best thrower that the country has ever produced, and at her peak, ranked 13^th best discus thrower in the Olympics. She was born on 20 April 1946, the eldest child of American-Mexican Norman and Carolina de La Viña of New Lucena (now, Sta. Barbara) Cebu.

De La Viña recalls that hers was not an athletic family. Her father used to be a professional bowler, and that was it. For some reason, she became attracted to softball, her first sport, which she played as a student of Labangon Elementary School. But her affair with the Grecian discus began when she enrolled at the Cebu Institute of Technology High School that was renowned for producing the most successful women athletes of the Philippines—the likes of Asia’s track queen Inocencia Solis, hurdler-sprinter Francisca Sañopal, javelin thrower Vivencia Subido, and broad jumper Visitacion Badana. From throwing balls,  Josephine discovered her natural flair in the throwing events of discus, javelin and shot put. She caught the eye of Dean Amancio Alcordo and Vicente Tigas, who put her on a scholarship and began training her right away.

The hefty teen, who would grow to an intimidating height of 6 feet, with a weight of 180 lbs,  earned a Bronze at her first ever international competition–the 1st Asian Track and Field Championship in Tokyo–with a heave of 37.39 meters. At the 1963 National Open Track and Field competitions at the Rizal Stadium. She set the audience gasping with an incredible heave of 41. 987 m (137 ft. 9 inches) in the women’s discus throw.

At age 18, she was named to the National  Olympic team, where she put on a show by improving her throw to 42.27 meters at the Tokyo Games in 1964, good enough for 18^th place. De La Viña got even better when she joined the 1965 National Open Championships in Manila, registering a remarkable 158 feet, 9 inches (48.387 m.), topping the Asian mark of Japanese Chizoko Tanaka (150 feet, 7 inches, or 45.89 m.)

The next year, De La Viña was the proud flag bearer at the 5th Asian Games in Bangkok (1966) . Competing against favored Japanese amazons, “Big Jo” held her own and threw the discus to an Asian record-shattering 47.58 meters (156 ft. 1 ¼ inches)—which was not even her best throw–to give the Philippines its first Gold. She had been averaging 162 feet in practices, which would have been enough to place her among the top 6 in the world Olympics.

The civil engineering student would go on to participate in two more Olympic quests in Mexico (1968), where she would improve her ranking to 15^th  of the world’s best. De La Viña was also entered in the Shot Put event, but did not start, opting to focus on her pet event, the Discus.

She went into deep training in the U.S. in between the Olympic years under coach Bob Lawson, and it was there that Big Jo set a personal best and a new Philippine record that would—to this day—remain unsurpassed.  At the 1971 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships that took place on 10 July at the Memorial Stadium on the campus of Bakersfield College in Bakersfield, California, De La Viña threw the discus to an astounding 54.71 meters (179 feet, 5 inches) defeating USA’s Carol Jean Moseke L. Frost, the 1967 Pan American Games gold medalist, and 1968 Olympian.

No other Filipina thrower has come near to this record; in fact, the second-best throw also belongs to De La Viña at 53.92 meters, achieved during the qualifying rounds of the Munich Olympics. She almost qualified for the finals, landing in 13^th place, but only 12 athletes moved forward to contest the medals.

To date, after 54 years, De La Viña is the only Filipina to reach--and exceed--the 50 meter mark in the Discus Throw event. For perspective, Dorie Cortejo’s silver medal heave of 45.26 m.  at the 1989 Kuala Lumpur SEA Games is over 9 meters behind De La Viña’s best. “Big Jo” passed away on 4 November  2011in Iloilo, leaving behind an unbroken record that is expected to endure for many more years, earning her a special place in the Philippine Sports Hall of Fame in 2018.

SOURCES:

The Philippine Athlete, P.A.A.F. Official Publication, 1966

“Josephine de la Viña”, olympedia, https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/74514

Quintana, Buddy. “A Most Charming Champion”, The Sunday Times Magazine, 1967

“Josephine de la Viña, Aiming for a Medal”, The Sunday Times Magazine, 13 Oct. 1968 (Cover)

46. Grappling for Glory: Judoka GERONIMO S. DYOGI, 1972 PH Olympian, Asian Judo Medalist

The Philippines sent its first judokas to compete in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, and it took 8 years to send another contingent of 3, this time to the 1972 summer games in Munich. Of the three, GERONIMO Samonte DYOGI, was the most seasoned at age 23, and was also the best performing after their judo events, landing 12^th among over 20 judokas.

Nicknamed Ronnie, he was born on 20 July 1949 in Manila to Ramon Dyogi Sr. and the former Aurora Samonte. His father was a Philippine consular accountant, which allowed the family to travel. From age 6 to 12, he lived in Japan. Back then, the young Ronnie showed his athleticism, and took up the Japanese martial sports of judo. He trained at the famed trained Kodokan Institute in Tokyo, by judo founder Jigoro Kano in 1882. At age 15, he got  his first dan (first degree) black belt in Japan—and never looked back.

Returning to the Philippines as a young adult, he attended the Mapúa Institute of Technology, and continued to pursue the sport. He won third place in three Asian Judo Championships held in the Philippines (1966), Kaohsiung, Taiwan (1970), and Seoul,  South Korea (1974)

In 1969, Dyogi was the lone representative to the World Championships held in Mexico (5^th place), and also saw action at the 6^th World Championship in Ludwigshafen, West Germany  in 1971 (7^th place). The Summer Games of the 20^th Olympiad, scheduled on 5 Sep. 1972, opened up an opportunity for a token Philippine representation to the Judo events.

Geronimo, then already with Far Eastern University, along with Renato Repuyan of Meralco (Iighweight),  and Navy’s Fernando Garcia (light heavyweight). Welterweight Oscar Bautista was left out by the National Olympic Committee for lack of funds. Coach Peter Calibo, who frankly assessed that their chances of podium finishes were “slim”,  handled the overall training of the trio.

In April 1972, the judo team went to Los Baños to undergo a “special 8-days concentrated training” under the tutelage of Suzumi Oikawa, a member of the Japanese Peace Corps and a 3^rd dan. He was replaced by another Peace Corps member Toyoji Aoki, a 4^th dan, after he competed his stint in the country.

The Judo Team of Dyogi, Repuyan and Garcia joined the compact Philippine delegation of 53 athletes (48 men, 5 women) to Munich, West Germany in September 1972 for the biggest fights of their lives.

Competing in the welterweight division (now half-middleweight), Dyogi’s Olympic profile sheet describes him as 167 cm tall (5’6”) and weighing 70 kg. (154 pounds). He defeated Hong Kong’s Mok Cheuk Wing by “yuseigachi” (win by decision), but in his next match, he lost by a half-point (“ouchigari”, a foot technique throw) to Austria’s Gerold Jungwirth. He stood in joint 12^th place with 5 other judokas in a field of 28 athletes.

With the Olympics over, Ronnie put his competitive years behind to join his family who had immigrated to the United States. It was in San Francisco, California that he met his future wife, Evelyn. They got married in 1977, and put up his own car repair business to support their 2 daughters. He moved his family to Texas after he secured a job in the Public Works Division of the City of West University Place.

Geronimo Dyogi retired after 15 years of service and was accorded with many awards—including a recognition from the city for having an Olympian in its midst. The judo master passed away just 3 days after his 67^th birthday on 23 Jul. 2016 in Sugarland, Texas, bringing to a close the life of an athlete who so ably represented the country on the world’s major sporting stages.

It would take another 16 years before the Philippines would send again Filipino judokas to another Olympics—that held in Seoul in 1988. The three—Jerry Dino, John Baylon, and Benjamin McMurray were not expected to “slay” the competition in Korea, but their presence alone—much like their Munich predecessors Garcia, Repuyan and Dyogi-- embodies the credo of the Olympics: that even if victory is not achieved, it is the value of participation, of taking part in the pursuit of excellence that matters most.

SOURCES:

“The Philippine Performance”, The Filipino Athlete. Vol. XXV, Sep.-Oct. 1972,

“Judo”, The Sunday Times Magazine, 27 Aug. 1972

Judo in the Philippines, https://www.usadojo.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/FMA-Special-Edition_Judo-Philippines.pdf

Obituary, Mr. Geronimo Ronnie Samonte Dyogi, Dignity Memorial,

https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/stafford-tx/geronimo-dyogi-7023226

Asian Judo Championship Results 1966-2011, https://web.archive.org/web/20131023103335/http://www2.bbweb-arena.com/cozytoys/media/asia_judo_champions_eng.htm

Geronimo Dyogi, olympedia, https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/33687