Nearly forgotten, the name IRENE PENUELA came to fore when her daughter, Lyn Majaducon sounded a call for financial help for her mother who was battling ovarian cancer. It turns out Irene Penuela was a former national athlete, who, at the 1958 Asian Games in Tokyo, chased sporting glory—and won the Team Silver Medal in the 4 x 100 M. Women’s Relay.Together with her team mates, top sprinter Inocencia Solis, Rogelia Ferrer and Francisca Sanopal, the Philippine team placed 2nd to the hometown Japanese quartet, a no mean feat in the region’s biggest, and most highly-competitive sporting event.
As is the case with veteran athletes past their prime, Penuela’s story is the same: after bringing pride to the country, they are left in oblivion, neglected and forgotten. Professional athletes in massively popular sports, like basketball and boxing, have better chances of parlaying their fame to something more lucrative. On the other hand, amateur athletes from less-funded sports like sprinter Penuela, sadly have little or no support.
Which is why, when Penuela’s Asian Games achievement came to people’s attention via that appeal that came with a photo of her running in that historic relay, the memory of that long-ago victory rallied grateful sports groups and personalities to help the now-old and bedridden athlete.
Irene Penuela was born on 6 April 1938, to parents Jesus Penuela and Alicia Esporton originally from Jaro, Iloilo. Small, slim and standing at only 5'2", the young Irene took to running in her elementary school years where she often represented her school in meets. It was in her high school years at Dumangas High School (formerly Iloilo High School), that Penuela took running seriously. Her teachers knew they had a talent in their hands so she was always fielded in regional events, winning sprints at the West Visayas Athletic Association (WVAA) Meets.
Penuela qualified as a member of the WVAA team that went to the premiere Bureau of Public Schools Interscholastic Athletic Association (BPSIAA) Meet, a predecessor of today’s Palarong Pambansa organized back in 1948. It was held in Tagbilaran, Bohol, from Feb. 1 to Mar. 1, 1958. The scrawny teen served notice of her presence when she reached the finals of all her events: 3rd in the 100 m. dash behind the East Visayan Concordia Avenosa, 4th in both the 200 m. dash and 1st in the 4 x 100 m. relay, turning the tables on their East Visayan opponents.
Penuela’s podium wins opened wide the doors of the 1958 National Open Track and Field Championships held just a week later, a prelude to the 1958 Tokyo Asiad. Now representing the Bureau of Public Schools (BPS), Penuela was entered in the 200 m. dash.
Among the finalists was the national record holder Inocencia Solis, 6
years her senior, and Negros Occidental hurdler/sprinter Rogelia Ferrer,
a ’54 Asian Games medalist. Unfazed, Penuela took her place in the
cinder tracks and bolted from the blocks at the sound of the gun. When Penuela
crossed the finish line, she was shocked to learn that she had placed third
behind Solis and Ferrer, with a remarkable time of 26.6 secs.,
just 0.1 sec. from Ferrer, and 0.2 sec. from Solis.
When the composition of the 4 x 100 m. relay women’s team for the 1958 Tokyo Asiad was announced, Penuela was even more aghast when she saw her name included along with Inocencia Solis, Rogelia Ferrer, and Francisca Sanopal. Sports pundits were expecting either Visitacion Badana or Lucrecia Casorla to complete the quartet as they had been in the 4 x 100 relay team with Solis and Sanopal that smashed the 50 sec. barrier in the 1957 National Open with a new Philippine record time of 49.6 seconds.
But starting 1957, Visitacion Badana was peaking as the country’s best women jumper, the only one to break a national record in that years’ National Intercollegiate Track and Field Championship. Officials may have decided to keep her for the event where she excels best (Indeed, she would score the 1st gold in the Running Broad Jump at the Tokyo Asiad). In the case of Casorla, she was more of a hurdler, but Sanopal and Manolita Cinco were already the dominant performers in that field.
Thus, all thing considered, officials put their bets on Penuela.
It’s true that she never placed first in her events, but her runner-up
clockings were just a few ticks away from the winners’ times. Who knows, the
idea of running in an international event could even fire this promising
athlete to go beyond her limits and win! On the 3rd week of May,
Irene Penuela arrived in Tokyo, Japan to run the biggest race of her
life at the Third Asian Games.
In the finals of the 4 x 100 m. relay held at the National Stadium on 29 May, 11:30 a.m, the Indian runners returned to defend their title won in Manila 4 years before. The Japanese squad, however, were the crowd favorite to win the race. The Philippine girls were not ruled out either, as Solis had claimed the Gold in the century dash earlier, installing herself as Asia’s fastest woman.
The plan was for barely-rested Solis to be the lead-off runner, and followed by the Rogelia Ferrer. Penuela, the team’s youngest runner was sandwiched between the more experienced Ferrer and Francisca Sanopal, the hurdler-sprinter known for her strong finishing kick. Running second, Ferrer passed the baton to Penuela who ran the 3rd leg against the formidable Ikuko Yoda, a future 1964 Olympian hurdler. She held her own as well against the fast-catching Indians, remaining in 2nd place as she handed the baton to Sanopal.
The Japanese sprinters (Sakura Fukuyama, Yoshie Fujii, Ikuko Yoda, Yuko Kobayashi) retained their slim lead until the finish to win Gold (48.6 secs. a new Games record), with the fighting Filipinas bagging Silver (49.0 secs. flat, a new PH record, Solis, Ferrer, Penuela, Sanopal), thus bettering their 3rd place position in the last Manila Asiad. The dethroned Indians ( Christine Brown, Violet Peters, Stephie D'Souza,Mary Leela Rao) were pushed into 3rd place (49.4 secs.).
To Penuela, the Silver around her neck as she stood on the podium, glittered like Gold—for the 4 x100 m. relay was her one and only event, in her first and only international outing; it was, the biggest win of her running career. In Athletics, the Philippine team hauled 11 medals, 3 of which were Gold, 4 Silvers and 4 Bronzes. Of the 3 Golds, two were won by women athletes. The total medal harvest in Athletics put the Philippines in 3rd place behind Japan and Pakistan.
Japan was a good experience for her, for the new culture she was introduced to, for the sportsmanships fostered, and international friendships she forged with athletes from around Asia.
Penuela returned to the Philippines to resume her life as a student athlete. She finished her Physical Education course at the Central Philippine University, in Iloilo. She continued her medal-winning ways collecting 11 Gold, 9 Silvers, and 9 Bronzes in post-Asiad meets in the Philippines. Her athletic career lasted only for 9 years, a short but fruitful one.
After 1958, she was married in civil ceremonies to Franquilino Majaducon of Jaro. By 1960, the growing Majaducon family would move to General Santos City, in brgy. Apopong, where she would remain for the rest of her life. They would have 6 children: Erlien (a special child), Franklin, Gilbert, Elleen, Aileen and Arlien. The 2 youngest daughters also became outstanding athletes in athletics and swimming.
As a new wave of stronger, faster runners emerged led by the Mona Sulaiman, Penuela went into coaching, mentoring pools of athletes for various national competitions and championships. She made history again in 2005 when she became the oldest female marathon finisher of that year’s Milo Marathon, at the age of 67.
In 2022, Penuela was stricken with ovarian cancer, and her grateful adoptive city of Gensan, accorded her not only financial assistance but also recognized her significant achievements that elevated Philippine sports and gave pride and honor to her country.
Two years after, she took a turn for the worse, which prompted her daughter Lyn to make an appeal for help in settling her medical bills. The response from the sports community was overwhelming, but, sadly it came a bit late for the ailing Irene. On 9 July 2024, Irene Penuela died peacefully, surrounded by her loved ones. There is no greater glory than running her final race, a journey to immortality.
1958 3RD Asian
Games, Tokyo, Japan Official Report
Athletics at the 1958 Asian Games, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athletics_at_the_1958_Asian_Games
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