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

45. Master of the Fly: FREDDIE ELIZALDE, PH Olympian, Asian Games Medalist (active 1956-60)

It was only in 1956 that the Butterfly stroke made its debut in the Olympics inaugural Men’s 200 m. butterfly, won by American William Yorzik. A rising teen swimmer from the American School in Manila decided to specialize in this difficult stroke, coached by the Olympian Rene Amabuyok, himself, a former national record holder of the fly.

Soon, FEDERICO “Freddie” ELIZALDE, was re-setting meet and national records in the said events, establishing himself as the country’s top fly swimmer by the time he was 18. He would achieve more when he pursued his collegiate studies at Harvard University, where he became a topnotch varsity swimmer under the tutelage of more experienced, international coaches.

After all, the young Freddie came from a privileged and influential background. The son of the business tycoon and Philippine patron of sports, Spanish-Filipino Manolo Elizalde and Mary Cadwallader, Freddie was born in Makati on 17 Aug. 1940. The Elizaldes were very much into sports—Manolo and his brothers Mike, Juan Miguel, and Ángel were avid polo players. Another brother, Federico,  was into shooting sports.

Freddie, however, took an interest in swimming. He was enrolled at the American School (the future International School) in Manila which had an excellent swimming program. The Indians Swimming Team, ably mentored by the 1948 Olympian  Rene Amabuyok, were perennial winners in inter-secondary level swim meets.

In 1956, Freddie gained major attention at the Secondary School Boys Swimming League held between Oct. 5-Dec.6. Fifteen teams from various schools like Mapua, FEU, Sulu Trade School, and National University were entered. The American School sent only  3 boys to the meet: Bobby Boni, R. Butler and 16 year old Freddie Elizalde.

 In the heats, Elizalde shattered the 2-week old league record of Robert Cullen in the 100 m. butterfly with his mark of 1:12.6 secs. This also erased Olympian Rene Amabuyok’s Philippine record established in 1952 at  1;14.8. In the championship round held on 29 Nov. 1956, Elizalde, pressed by Cullen of FEU, clipped 3.5 secs. off his prelims time, resetting the record to 1:09.1 secs. This feat was named as one of the Best Performances of the Year by the swim league.

At the next year’s 1957 National Secondary Boys Swimming Championship held from 21-23 Feb., Elizalde was untouchable in the 100 m. butterfly, winning the Gold in another record time of 1:08.8, a full 7 seconds ahead of Robert Cullen (FEU, 1:15.8) and T. Sahid (Sulu Trade School, 1:16.9).

There was no rest for Elizalde as 4 days later, the 1957 National Open Swimming Championship went underway from 27 Feb. to 3 Mar. The Open drew a strong team from Australia who dominated the meet. Elizalde however, held his own when he competed in the Butterfly Events.  In the 100 m. Butterfly, he placed second to Australian Brian Wilkenson (1:03. 5, a new All-Comers record), timing in at 1:09.2 mins., followed by FEU’s Agapito Lozada in 1:11.2 mins. He, once more placed second to Wilkenson (2:31.9 mins) in the 200 m. Butterfly finals, with a time of 2:41.1 mins, with Lozada in 3^rd, at 2:49.0 mins.

1958 proved to be Elizalde’s busiest year, with the holding of the Men’s and Women’s Manila Open Swimming League, from 15 Jan.-13 Feb. He stamped his class in the 200 m. Butterfly event by breaking Parsons Nabiula’s time of 2:42.0 mins. flat, which the veteran set on 16 Feb. 1956—reducing the time to 2:41.2 mins.—a new Philippine record.

Hot on the heels of the Manila Open was the 1958 National Inter-collegiate, Inter-Secondary Swimming Championships held from 27 Feb.– 1 March. American School captured the overall inter-secondary swim championship in dramatic fashion, edging out the Sulu Trade School in the last event of the meet—the 4 x 100 m. Relay. Elizalde, swimming with team mates Bobby Boni., M. Macias, and R. Domingo won the Gold, on top of the 1^st place finish of Elizalde’s in his pet 100 m. butterfly,  won in 1:06.6—a new Meet Record. American School amassed 20 points to emerge as the overall winner, while Sulu Trade School had 18 pts. and Far Eastern University with 12 points.

Hardly had their swimsuits dried when the 1958 National Swimming and Diving Championships opened from 6-9 March. The American School swimmers, led by Elizalde, were called upon again to compete. As expected, both 100 m. and 200 m. Butterfly events were handily won by Elizalde (1:06.5 mins. and 2:40.4 mins., respectively). Walter Brown, an up-and-coming star from U.P., provided the only real threat to the country’s master butterflyer, finishing in second in both fly events.

This served only as a prelude to the centerpiece spotting event of the year—the 1958 Asian Games in Tokyo, staged from 24 May- 1 June. The Philippine swimming team came in full force, coached by Jose Obial, the 1936 Olympian.  

Elizalde, without much surprise, qualified for the 100 m. Butterfly finals, along with team mate Walter Brown and a bunch of strong Japanese swimmers. In the end, however, it was Brown who snuck past Elizalde to win the Bronze Medal, in 1:06.9 mins. The Japanese scored a 1-2 finish with Takashi Ishimoto winning Gold (1:01.4 mins.) and Kumiagi Masunaga getting the Silver ( 1:02.0 mins.) Elizalde’s time of 1:07.4 mins, was good only for 4^th place.

It was a different story for Elizalde in the 200 m. Butterfly finals, where he stopped the Japanese juggernaut by finally clinching the Bronze  with a time of 2:47.7 mins., behind the formidable Takashi Ishimoto (Gold, 2:21.4 mins.), and Koichi Hirakida (Silver, 2:24.2 mins.). As icing on the cake, the Philippine 4 x 100 m. Medley Relay team consisting of Rudy Agustin, Jacinto Cayco, Dakula Arabani, and Freddie Elizalde, snatched the Silver in 4:37.7 mins., behind Team Japan ( Keiji Hase, Maseru Furukawa, Takashi Ishimoto, Manobu Koga) who clocked an impressive 4:17.2 mins. for the Gold. Indonesia took home the Bronze medal.

That same year, the newly-minted Asian Games double medalist announced his acceptance at the prestigious Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Three months after Tokyo, Freddie enplaned for the U.S. to begin his colleges studies. He easily made it as a varsity player of the Crimson Swim Team of the ivy league university, and the foreign student athlete quickly made quite an impression with his prowess in the pool.

His first major event was competing for Harvard in a dual meet with West Point held in December 1958. The freshmen Crimson team, of which Elizalde was a member, defeated the army men of West Point, 61-24. Elizalde was singled out for breaking the freshman record in the 200-yard butterfly with a time of 2:23.9 mins---which also surpassed the winning varsity time.

Then on 11 March 1960, at the Eastern Colleges Swimming Championships in the Harvard pool, Elizalde’s superb performance was put on spotlight again. In the afternoon, the 19-year-old sophomore set a pool record in the 200-yard butterfly event, then tied the meet mark in the evening with a blistering time of 2:06.4 time. Yale's Tim Jecko set the mark in 1958. Elizalde beat Jerome Bentley of Dartmouth (2^nd place) and Colgate’s Michael Wolk  and Yale’s Thomas Bissell who tied for 3^rd place.

By this time, the Games of the 17^th Olympiad were all set for staging in Rome  beginning on 25 August 1960. Elizalde was called upon to represent the Philippines in the world’s premiere sporting event. He immediately flew home to train with the rest of the Philippine Men’s Swimming team:  Lorenzo Cortez, Antonio Saloso and Bana Sailani.

As luck would have it, Elizalde suffered a fractured hand before the Rome Olympics which almost kept him off the Philippine squad. It was decided that he would swim only in one individual and one team event so as not to add strain his healing hand. In the 100 m. freestyle, he finished 46 out of 51 swimmers with a slow time of 1:03.0 mins. He and his team mates did not much better in the 4x100 Medley Relay although he swam the butterfly leg faster than his 100 m. freestyle race, landing 15^th among 18 teams, with a time of 4:28.0 mins.

Many believed that Elizalde could have earned a finalist spot in the 200 m. butterfly race because he was already clocking in at 2 mins, 20 secs. in his pre-Olympic swims. Replacing him were a pair of Muslim teeners, Ahiron Radjae, 17 years old  (clocked 2:39.80 mins, ranked 31^st of 34) and 18 year old Amir Hussin Hamsain (clocked 2:27.9 mins, ranked 22^nd of 34).

 It was back to school for Freddie Elizalde after his one and only Olympics. In 2 more years, he graduated Magna Cum Laude from Harvard University with a degree of Bachelor of Arts Major in Social Relations.

He returned to the Philippines to help manage the giant Elizalde conglomerate of companies. He serves as the chairman of multiple corporations -- among them Manila Broadcasting Company, Star Parks Corporation, Philippine International Corporation (Philcite), Elizalde Holdings Corporation and Northern Capiz Agro-Industrial Development Corporation (Norcaic). He never left his love for swimming, supporting the sports by making special appearances in local swim meets, awarding winners, and meeting young swimmers.

In 1978, Elizalde entered politics by running as delegate to the 1978 elections for one of the 166 regional seats in the Interim Batasang Pambansa, under the Kilusang Bagong Lipunan. The interim national assembly was the legislature of the Philippines formed by Pres. Marcos, from its inauguration in 12 June to 5 June 1984. It served as a transitional legislative body as the country shifted from presidential to a semi-presidential form of government. First Lady and Humans Settlements Minister Imelda Marcos headed the party, which swept most of the seats.

Elizalde was married to Josine Pardo de Tavera Loinaz (b.1945/d. 2022), beauty queen and philantrophist, with whom he had 4 sons. His second wife was another beauty queen, Joan Gatlin Salas of Batangas, who passed away in May 1996, leaving Elizalde a widower with children Juan Manuel and Thalassa. On 7 June 1997, Elizalde married well-known ballet dancer, Lisa Macuja, and their union bore 2 children: Michelle Elizabeth and Manuel Cesar. The Elizaldes are celebrating their 28^th wedding anniversary this year, 2025.

Of his children, it is son Federico Jr., 54, who has taken over his father’s mantle as a butterfly specialist  of note,  the same stroke that catapulted the senior Elizalde to swimming glory. Though Federico learned swimming early, he abandoned the sport at age 12, only returning to train at age 51. He has swum long distances in open water, using solely the butterfly style. Since becoming the first person to swim the 9 km. distance from Caticlan in Panay to Puka Shell Beach in Boracay, he has completed more endurance races employing the fly stroke. On 15 July 2023, Federico became the 1^st ever swimmer to stroke his way from Lausanne, Switzerland to Evain, France by crossing Lake Geneva-- a distance of 13 kms—in 6 hours, 44 minutes. The event was sanctioned by Lake Geneva Swimming Association LGSA.

SOURCES:

The Filipino Athlete, various issues;

Dec. 1956, J. Obial, “Mapua Tech Swimmers Win Secondary School Boys Swim League, p.12-15.

June 1957, E.A. Perez de Tagle, “UST Regains Nat’l Title; FEU Takes Women Division Championship, p.12-15.

April 1958, “UST; FEU: American School Top Intercollegiate, Inter-Secondary Swim Meets”. P. 3-6.

Progress 1959 Magazine, Special Report

youtube, The Butterflier Effect. Federico Elizalde Makes a Record with a 3-Way Maricaban Strait Swim in Butterfly

Federico Elizalde Jr. https://www.geni.com/people/Federico-Elizalde/6000000016471151836

“Crimson Swim Team Crushes Army, 55-31 As Sophomores Star”, The Harvard Crimson,December 15, 1958, https://www.thecrimson.com/article/1958/12/15/crimson-swim-team-crushes-army-55-31/

 “Harvard's Relay Team Lowers Eastern Free-Style Mark Twice; Brown of Dartmouth, Chase of Yale and Crimson's Elizalde and Gorman Also Excel”, The New York Times, 12 March 1960, p. 16, https://www.nytimes.com/1960/03/12/archives/harvards-relay-team-lowers-eastern-freestyle-mark-twice-brown-of.html

Agustin, Carl Martin. “Meet Federico Elizalde, the 53-year-old swimmer that’s setting records through butterfly strokes”, Lifestyle.INQ. https://lifestyle.inquirer.net/474200/meet-federico-elizalde-the-53-year-old-open-water-long-distance-swimmer-thats-setting-records-through-butterfly-stroke/

Enriquez, Marge. “The ‘miracle child’–one of the country’s richest heiresses—finds her life partner’”. Lifesyle.INQ. 20 May 2012. https://lifestyle.inquirer.net/48783/the-miracle-child%E2%80%93one-of-the-countrys-richest-heiresses%E2%80%94finds-her-life-partner/

44. ANTONIO ALO and his Vaults of Gold, 1919-1925

When the Americans introduced Athletics to Filipinos, they included Field Events (hence, Track and Field) that included throwing (classic discus, shotput, javelin) and jumping events like  broad jump, hop, skip and jump, standing long jump (now the high jump) and the Pole Vault. These are less popular as they don’t elicit the same energy level from the crowds as the sprint races; they take awhile to finish. Yet, a Field Event Gold is worth the same as a Gold won in the more glamorous century dash or hurdles.

In forming their track teams, national coaches scouted schools for students with certain body types  adapted for  jumping, leaping (tall, slim, with springy legs) and throwing (hefty, muscled, stocky, yet nimble). It was in this way that in the 1917 Far East Games in Japan, the coaches discovered 2 boys who had these built and trained them for the Pole Vault, an ancient sport known during the medieval days.

JUSTO LLANES, 20, at 5’7”, was from Bangued, Abra. He was tall and long-limbed,  and even his face was described as “long and oval”. From Cebu, Cebu came 19 year old ANTONIO ALO (b. 10 May 1898), an inch shorter, and described as “round-faced”. The 2 students were named to the National Athletic Team, and set for Japan on 23 April 1917. On board the ship “Panay”. These two young athletes thus became the first known Filipino Pole Vaulters to compete in the internationa; arena, at the 1917 Far Eastern Championships.

It was Llanes, however, who reached the finals, medalling behind Tang Ichung (CHN) who cleared 3.15 m., followed by another Chinese, Kuo Chiaoyen, with 3.07 m. Llanes (PHI) did not even exceed the 3 m. mark, clearing only 2.99 m., but still enough for the Bronze. The dejected Alo, still a teen,  came home without a medal in his first Far East Games campaign.

He would come back with vengeance for the 1919 Far East Games in Manila, and this time, the young adult, now more confident and better-trained,  snatched the Gold, the first of 3 he would capture  in the most prestigious sporting event of Asia. In fact, 3 Filipinos ruled the Pole Vault finals led by Alo with a 3.31 m. leap—a new games record. Faustino Carlos and a certain Puno—both Filipinos finished 2-3, but their jumps went unrecorded

The 3 Filipinos would defend their titles at the 1921 Far East Games—with the beanpole Alo, again, smashing his own record with an incredible vault of 3.51 m. (.20 cm. better) . Carlos repeated his Silver finish, a a new rising vaulter, Carlos Nicolas, claimed the Bronze. In the same games, Alo was deployed to the Shot Put event as well—a throwing event, yet remarkably, he placed third (12. 55 m) , behind PH teammate Moises Lucas (12.72 m.) and Japanese winner Masasuke Nakamura (JPN), 12.83 m.

At the 1923 Far East Games in Japan, Alo suffered a temporary setback,  slipping to 2^nd place with a leap of (3.32 m.), same height as the Filipino third placer, Mala, who di 3.32 with more attempts. The winner, Japanese Yonetaro Nakazawa (JPN) made it to 3.40 m, good for Gold, leaving Alo’s best mark of 3.51 unscathed,        

His 5^th and last appearance in the Far East Games would come in Manila in 1925. And what a way to finish his sterling pole vaulting career. Four proud Filipinos claimed all the podium spots with Alo and the sensational Numeriano Tagavilla sharing the Gold with the same cleared height of 3.415 m. Sharing Silver were Carlos Mejillano and Miguel Sujeco (PHI) who managed  3.35 m.

 In all, Alo’s stash were 3 Golds, 1 Silver for Pole Vault, and 1 Bronze, for the unlikely sport of Shotput, making him the most successful vaulter ever at the regional games, pre-cursor of the Asian Games. Alo receded quietly from the limelight after that, and no more was heard of him.The champion pole vaulter, untouchable in his heyday, blazed trails in heightening the awareness for this sometimes lonely, tedious, and repetitive jumping sport until Ernest John Obiena proved that Filipinos, despite their short stature., could stand tall and compete with the best jumpers in the world.

SOURCES:

Passport Applications - Philippine Islands, Volume 24 (5350-5599)

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

“The pre-war star athletes of Cebu (Part I)”, CEBUPEDIA - Clarence Paul Oaminal - The Freeman , 9 Sep. 2016

Athletics at the 1921 Far Eastern Championship Games, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athletics_at_the_1921_Far_Eastern_Championship_Games

43. PH Olympian HEDY GARCIA: The Teenage Girl Who Swam Across the Laguna Lake

The day after Christmas in 1965, a long-distance swimming competition was organized by Dr. Clodualdo Manas, manager of the Nonino Swimming Club of Laguna, involving crossing the Laguna Lake. From the starting point of barrio Pipindan,  Binangonan, to the coastline of barrio Cuyab in San Pedro Laguna, the total distance was about 18 kilometers.

Dubbed as Swimathon 1965, the local challenge was reminiscent of the English Channel swim contest where athletes swam across the Channel unaided by an escort. The event attracted 22 participants—from former Olympians to a 10-year-old boy swimmer. The race started on the Pipindan shore at 7:30 a.m. on a clear Dec.26 morning, after the water temperature was checked.

By 12:30 p.m. 16 of the original 22 starters had given up, including 10 year old Noli Manas, fished out from the water by a motorboat. The remaining swimmers plodded on, stroke after stroke.

First to make it to the finish line after five hours and five minutes was high school student Loreto Garcia, a UAAP champion swimmer from Far Eastern University, with a time of 5 hours, 5.5 minutes . But what caught the crowd’s attention was the second placer—15-year-old high school girl,  Hedvig “Hedy” Garcia, who timed in at 5 hours, 40 minutes and 8 seconds.

So impressive was her time that Hedy trounced two former male Olympians: Bana Sailani, who failed to finish, and the Tokyo Olympian Rolando Landrito of the Philippine Air Force (6:17.0 hrs.). She was also way ahead of 31 year old long distance swimmer Ricardo Cuenca (5:43.2 hrs.) who would set an endurance record of 47 hrs. swimming from Nasugbu to Manila Bay in 1969.

Hedy. who stands only 5 feet 2.5 inches tall, was an amateur swimmer from Far Eastern University. She was born on 8 Feb. 1950 in Pakil, to a sports-loving family. Her fantastic Laguna feat was just part of her intensive training that led her to improve her times---and a slot in the Philippine swimming team. Less than a year later, she was sent to the 1966 Asian Games from Bangkok, and won a team Silver, by placing second in the 4 x 100 m. Medley relay swim team that included Rosalina Abreu, Helen Elliott, and Gertrudes Lozada.

By the time the Olympic year came along, Hedy was the holder of 8 Philippine bests in 100 m., 200 m. backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly records, The breaststroke and the individual medley became her specialties.  

She went on to qualify for a place in the Philippine Olympic swimming team--the youngest member at 18-- that competed in the 1968 Mexico Olympics. The talented swimmer swam in four events: 100 m. free (7th in her heat), 200 m. breaststroke (4th), and both the 200 m. (3rd)  and 400 m. individual medley (7th).

Hedy made it as well to her 2^nd Asian Games, and returned to Bangkok, Thailand in 1970 to claim a team Bronze Medal in the 4 x 100 m. Medley relay event, along with Luz Arzaga, Susan Papa, and Luz Laciste.

 After retiring from competitive swimming, Hedy turned to coaching, mentoring the University of the Philippines Women’s Varsity Swimming Team from 1978-1984. She continues to live in her hometown of Pakil, Laguna.

SOURCES:

Benjamin Afuang, Photos by Ben Santos, “The Long Swim Across Laguna Lake”, The Sunday Times Magazine, 9 January 1966 issue, 24-27.

Olympedia, https://www.olympedia.org/lists/114/manual?page=6

Philippines at the 1966 Asian Games, Wikimedia.com

Philippines at the 1970 Asian Games, Wikimedia.com

42. Marked for Gold: ALBERT VON EINSIEDEL: Olympic Marksman, Asian Games Medalist

One of the top marksmen of the country from the late 1930s to the 1950s was the sharp-shooting ALBERT  VON EINSIEDEL who had the distinction of competing for the Philippines in  shooting sports at both the world Olympics and the continental Asian Games.

 Born on 14 May 1917 to German Albert H. von Einsiedel and Filipina Lucia Salamanca, the young Albert developed an early interest in shooting, which he mastered as a student of the University of the Philippines. In 1936, U.P. shooting standout, Martin Gison, became the first and lone representative of the country in shooting at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, where he nearly medalled, placing 4^th in the small-bore rifle event.

 This spurred more Physical Education students to sign up for the school’s shooting program. So, while  Einsiedel was learning folk dancing steps, he was also becoming adept in both rifle and pistol shooting where he trained religiously at the U.P. range,  until he became a deadeye in both disciplines.

After 1936,  Einsiedel showed that he, too, was capable of becoming a world-class shooter.  The U.P. Shooting Team then held regular competitions against members of the National Rifle and Pistol Association of the Philippines, which counts ace shooters from the military, as well as sports hunters and shooting hobbysts. In one such meet on 31 Oct. 1937, Einsidiel placed 4^th among the state shooters in the Rifle .22 caliber, helping U.P. win over the N.R,P.A, shooters. In the Pistol .22 caliber, he placed 3^rd , resulting in a tie with the more seasoned N.R.P.A. team.

 The next year, on the 27^th of February, the versatile all-around U.P. athlete earned a pistol championship title, by winning the Philippine Exposition .22 caliber pistol championship, sponsored by the N.R.P.A. held at the Pureza shooting grounds, with a score of 493 x 600. Highly-regarded Felix Cortes shot a score of 484 x 600 to garner second place, nosing out Ramon Villamor, who took third with 483 x 600. The course fired was 60 shots at 80 meters on the 50 meter target.

 But as every country, including the Philippine Commonwealth, was gearing up for the 1940 Olympics, the war intervened, cancelling not only the games scheduled in Japan, but also the 1944 edition in London. When the war ended, there was a slow return to normalcy, as rebuilding began. The government resumed its operations, the economy was restarted,  and schools reopened. Sports training went back into full swing and our nation’s athletes began to look forward to competing at the 1948 London Olympics.

The 1948 National Shooting Championships, held in February and March, were the first to be held since the outbreak of the war, and served as try-outs for the Olympics. Ten individual matches were held to determine the members of the shooting team. Einsiedel had already installed himself as one of the favorites of the meet, and he lived up to expectations.

 In the first event, Einsiedel had no trouble in beating a large field of free pistol experts by scoring a creditable 521 out of a possible 600 points. In Event no. 2, Einsiedel snuck into the winners’ circle, placing third in the 3-Position small-bore rifle with a score of 508, behind winner Higinio Pacaña, and ahead of 4^th placer Gison. Next, he landed 5^th in the small bore rifle 60 Shots Prone at 50 m., and 7^th in the 45 cal. National Match Course. In the Center Fire National Match Course, he placed 5^th, but came back in the next 2 events placing 1st in both the Olympic Free Rifle (3 positions) and the Navy Cup Match -20 Shots Military offhand.

Only 3 shooters would end up being part of the Philippine Olympic shooting team: Martin Gison ( 25 m. pistol, 50 m. pistol); Cesar Jayme (50 m. rifle), and Albert von Einsiedel (50 m. pistol, 50 m. rifle). Einsiedel was chosen to captain the lean, but mean shooting team in London.

In the Free Pistol, 50 metres event, Einsiedel ended up in 26^th place among 50 shooters, trailing Martin Gison who was ranked 25^th. The two were the highest placed Asians, with the Lebanese entry, Khalil Hilmi, in last place. The winners were  Edwin Vasquez (Gold, Peru),  Rudolf Snyder (Silver, Switzerland) and Torsten Ullman (Bronze, Sweden).            

 Einsiedel fared better in the Small-Bore Rifle, Prone, 50 m., placing 22^nd ,with a score of 591, among 71 athletes. His teammate Cesar Jayme also did very well, landing among the top 20 finishers, in 17^th place with 593 points. Gison could only pace 43^rd, with 585 points. Americans went 1-2 with Arthur Edwin Cook and Walter Tomsen winning Gold and Silver with identical 599 points, new world records.  Jonas Jonsson of Sweden won the Bronze with 597 score.

After the Olympics Einsiedel finished his university schooling and became a Physical Education instructor at the American School (the future International School) in Manila. He was still active in shooting until that time, and when Manila was chosen as the site of the 2nd Asian Games in May 1954, an issue arose as to the amateur status of active athletes employed as teachers. As it turned out, it was clarified that teachers were not considered pros at all. The ruling was announced rather late, leaving  Einsiedel only 4 months to train for the Asian Games.

 His first event was the Free Pistol, where he lost by a whisker to  Japanese Choji Hosaka, settling for the Silver Medal. But it was a different story in the 50 m. Rifle Prone, which he topped—followed by team mates Cesar Jayme and Martin Gison for an all-Filipino sweep of the shooting event. The Philippines amassed 4 Golds, 4 Silvers and 4 Bronzes from the Manila Asiad, the best-performing country in shooting sports.

Albert von Einsiedel was married to the former Luz Alabastro with whom he had 2 sons, Nathaniel and Albert Jr., He passed away in August 1999 at age 82.

SOURCES:

Maj. Carlos Quirino, 1948 National Shooting Championships, The Filipino Athlete, Vol. IX, No. 3, may 1948, p. 8-12.

 “Einsiedel Captures Pistol Championship”, The Tribune, 1 Mar. 1938, p. 10

 “U. P. Rifle Shots Win Over N.R.P.A”, The Tribune, 3 Nov. 1937. P. 9

 London 1948 Shooting 50m rifle prone 60 shots men Results, https://www.olympics.com/en/olympic-games/london-1948/results/shooting/50m-rifle-prone-60-shots-men

 London 1948 Shooting 50m rifle prone 60 shots men Results, https://www.olympics.com/en/olympic-games/london-1948/results/shooting/50m-rifle-prone-60-shots-men

 Shooting at the 1954 Asian Games, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shooting_at_the_1954_Asian_Games

 The Marksman, August 1939 issue, https://repository.mainlib.upd.edu.ph/omekas/files/original/28d401e3ff35f8f38f8315c0ae88c4a722ca0e4a.pdf

 Albert von Einsiedel, geni.com

41. Titan of Throws: AURELIO AMANTE, Discus and Shot Put Record Breaker (active 1930-1954)

Throwing events in athletics—like discus, shot put, javelin and hammer throws—do not exactly command attention the way that the more popular foot races, relays and sprints do. But in the 1930s, whenever Bicolano AURELIO AMANTE steps on the field to throw the discus or put the shot, the bleacher crowd is hushed into silence, their attention riveted on the field as this hulk of man prepares to unleash his renown power in the discus throw.

Indeed, Aurelio “Liling” Amante, in his prime, was not only the top discus thrower of the country, but also of the Asian region, breaking records at these field events in both local and international meets. His formidable hurling strength led to sportswriters to give him the sobriquets,  “Strongman” , “Hercules” or “Big Boy” of Philippine sports.

A Star Disc-overy in Field Athletics

Born in 1912, Amante was exposed to sports early—not as an athlete, but as a member of a crew that organized inter-school and inter-provincial track and field tournaments. His assigned tasks included retrieving discus plates, shot put balls and javelins after every athlete’s throw. During the breaks or after the conclusion of the meets, Amante would often tinker with the discus, practicing how to hurl them. He was surprised to find he could throw them at great distances, and the teen soon developed a keen interest in the sport. He was largely self-taught, learning from books and sports manuals to improve his skills.

It was in one such meet in Masbate that Amante  caught the attention of national discus champion Fidel Mendoza while he was practicing his throws. He mentored him about the finer points of discus throwing, sharing the technical aspects of the throw, from his grip, to his turns, and timing of the release.

Amante would meet Mendoza again—this time as fellow competitors at the 1930 National Track and Field Meet in Manila. The seasoned veteran Mendoza, as expected, bagged the Gold—but trailing not too far behind was his 18 year old protégé, Aurelio Amante, who earned a Bronze medal finish.

Throwing His Weight Around at the Try-Outs

Amante continued to improve in the next few years and 1934 proved to be his busiest season yet—and also the most productive. At age 22, now in the collegiate ranks, he competed at the 1934 Interscholastic Meet in Bacolod, Negros Occidental—and reigned supreme in the Discus Throw by winning the Gold.

This instantly qualified him to join the Track and Field Preliminary Qualifying Meet held at the newly-built Rizal Memorial Stadium on 31 March 1934—which was the first level elimination round to determine the Philippine team to the 1934 Far Eastern Championship Games slated in May.

By this time, there were emerging strong student athletes like William “Bill” Ray, Mario Branzuela (both from U.P.)  and Delfin Danguilan (Army) who were to be Amante’s biggest rivals. In the Discus Throw where Amante was the defending champion, he suffered a surprise loss when Ray, who heaved the discus to 129 ft. 3 inches, beat him to second place, with Branzuela in 3^rd. 

Not one to ponder at his defeat in his pet event, Amante returned to the field in the afternoon for the Shot Put event. In one mighty throw, Amante put the shot at an incredible 43 feet 1 5/8 inches, breaking by 3 feet the national record of Toribio Bucoy which stood at 40 ft. 1 in. Branzuela also surpassed Bucoy’s record, with a distance of 40 ft. 11 inches for Silver, Bucoy got the Bronze, while Bill Ray—who also entered this event—was a distant 4^th.

News of Amante’s sensational record-breaking feat in the shot put made headlines as he considered himself more as a discus specialist. Amante proved this, without a doubt, at the final try-outs for the remaining athletes held in the afternoon of 28 April 1934. At the discus event, he threw the disc at an astounding distance of 138 ft 1 7/8 inches, breaking the current Asian record of 132 ft. 11 ¾ , established by Japan’s Masae Saito at the 1930 Tokyo Far East Games. This time, Bill Ray came in 2^nd and Branzuela 3^rd.

The  Farthest of the Far, 1934

With his victory, Amante became part of the 197-strong Philippine national team to lead the country’s golden quest at the 1934 Far East Games slated for 16-20 May, in Manila. Amante was chosen to carry the country’s colors during the opening of the Games at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.

Brimming with renewed energy and confidence, Amante came to the Rizal Memorial Stadium just a day after the Games opening as a hometown favorite for the discus crown title. The Japanese though, led by Kosaku Kikutoto and Kiyoharu Fujita,  were determined to keep their title. Throw after throw, their distances were measured and registered, and when their attempts had all been used up, it was Amante of the Philippines who was at the top of winners’ list.

He had reset his month-old record to a new distance of 139 feet and 7 ¼ inches (42.54 m.), an unbelievable improvement of about a foot and a half—and a new Far East Games record! The Japanese were left fighting for next two places, with Kikutoto claiming Silver (42. 21 m) and Fujita, the Bronze (40.35 m.). The hometown crowd went wild with Amante’s triumph, and for days, his win was the buzz of local newspapers long after the closing of the Manila Far East Games.

Having a Field Day Putting and Throwing, 1934-1938

With the major competitions done, Amante began focusing on the future. As a scholar at Jose Rizal College, he was able to pursue both his sports and schooling. One of the more memorable events he was invited to join was the two-day dual track and field meet between visiting American stars led by the world’s fastest human, Ralph Metcalfe, and the cream of Filipino athletes.

Held in the last week of October, 1934, Amante was pitted against the 22 year old “Stanford Giant” Gordon Dunn in the Shot Put. He was no match for the American who smashed the Philippine record of 12.65 meters thrice, with a heave of 15. 27 meters. Though Amante was good only for a 3^rd place with 12.36 meters to show, he had a good time thrilling the packed audience of 6,000 at the Rizal Stadium.

Now a national sports figure, Amante was honored to appear as a guest of the 1935 National  Interscholastic Championships where he led 400 young crack athletes in declaring the Amateur Oath at the Rizal Track and Football Stadium.

The next year, Amante saw action at the Shot Put event of the annual NCAA Track and Field Meet where he claimed the Gold, enabling Jose Rizal College to capture  the overall championship title against perennial rivals La Salle and Mapua. He continued this winning streak in the Discus when he represented the NCAA in the 1937 National Track and Field Meet held on February 13.

Two important events awaited the much heralded athlete in 1938: the Intercollegiate Track and Field Meet (Feb. 26-27), and the National Open Track and Field Meet where NCAA dominated the field events with his Gold medal finish in the Discus, and Bronze in the Shot Put.

Discus Star Dismissed by U.P., 1940-1948

As the 1940s decade began, the now 28 year old athlete found gainful employment at the University of the Philippines, and secured a state scholarship to further his Education studies. In May 1940 however, Amante tried out and qualified to join the East Asia Athletic Meet in Japan in July along with sprinter Nemesio de Guzman and hurdler Jose Ravelo. They were lucky enough to earn winners’ points from the Tokyo tournament.

Upon their return however, Amante and the 2 alums were barred from admission due to their excessive absences, a violation of the scholarship rules. Disappointed due to the university’s lack of consideration, De Guzman transferred to Ateneo, a private school, while Ravelo accepted a high school teaching job in Iloilo. Amante stuck it out in his UP job despite being denied enrollment. He was conspicuously absent from the 1941 UAAP Track and Field Meet held at the end of January.

Amante, however, was allowed to compete by U.P. a month later at the 1941 National Open Track & Field Championships that took place end of February.  Amante proved his worth by winning the Gold in his favorite Discus Throw, hurling it a distance of 40.93 meters, or some 135.30 feet. It would seem that Amante’s golden win  settled the scholastic issue once and for all, but a scant 10 months later, the war would defer his academic and sporting ambitions for a good number of years.

When the war ended in 1945, the much-damaged University of the Philippines relocated its buildings to Diliman beginning in 1948. Amante resumed his academic and athletic pursuits here at age 36.  After all, he was still the undisputed holder of the Philippine and UAAP (University Athletic Association of the Philippines) records in the Discus Throw and Shot Put. And, in the 1948 National Field Meet, he still managed to win Silver Medals in the Discus and Shot Put (16 lbs.) events. He was entered in the same events at the 1948 UAAP Track and Field Meet where he beat out his younger rivals for the Gold in both the Discus and 16 lbs. Shot Put.

The Dean of the Discus: Asian Games and Beyond,  1951-1954

Three years later, now 39 years old, Amante was named to the Philippine national team that was sent to compete at the seminal Asian Games in New Delhi, India in 1951, from Mar. 8 to 11. He lost his title bid and settled for third place (38.14 m.) after India’s Makhan Singh (1^st, 39. 92 m. ) and Japan’s Norimi Sato (2^nd, 39.29 m.). Still, he was named by the Philippine Sportswriter’s Association as one of the Athletes of the Year in Field Events, for 1951-1952.

The second Asian Games in Manila staged in 1954 was to be Aurelio Amante’s last major international outing. In the finals, the 42 year old senior athlete finished a dismal 7^th in the Discus Throw, won by another Indian, Parduman Singh Brar, who likewise pocketed the Shot Put Gold. Thus ended his domination as the region’s best discus thrower.

Retiring from Athletics, he became an instructor of Physical Education at the Araneta Institute of Agriculture (now known as De La Salle Araneta University) until the 60s and while staying connected with the University of the Philippines, Press section. “Big Boy” Aurelio Amante, the Filipino titan of throws, the Hercules strongman, remained a lifelong bachelor, opting to devote most of his young, productive years to the sport that he loved best.

 SOURCES:

 “El record nacional de ‘shot put’ batido por Aurelio Amante”, Deportes, La Vanguardia, p. 7, 2 Apr. 1934

“Amante mejora el registro Oeriental en disco”, Deportes, La Vanguardia, p. 9, 30 Apr. 1934

“197 Atletas representaran a Filipinas en la olimpiada”, Deportes, La Vanguardia, p. 9, 4 May 1934

“Amante Takes Amateur Oath”, The Tribune, 15 Feb 1935, p. 11.

Photo: “Amante, Ray, Branzuela”, Presentando a nuestros atletas.

Photo: “Aurelio Amante”. La Vanguardia, p. 7, 17 May 1934

Photo: Aurelio Amante,“Record Breaker”, The Tribune, 28 Sep. 1934, p. 11

Photo: Aurelio Amante shot put”, Saturday Mirror Magazine, 2 Nov. 1957

Philippine Yearbook, 1951-1952, “Sports”

Graphic Magazine, 1934 Far East Games coverage