Sulu has had a deep and long involvement in the history of Philippine aquatic sports, and its long list of swimmers and their legacy are irrefutable proofs, their names still held in reverence for those who remember: Tamse, Jakaria, Arasad, Usman, Ali, and the most acclaimed of them all, JIKIRUM ADJALUDDIN.
Surprisingly, for an athlete as celebrated as Jikirum Adjaluddin (b. 11 Jan. 1912), there is not much known about his early life in Sulu. He arrived at the scene when the prowess of “the Moro swimmers” was coming to its peak. In 1928, Tausug Tuburan Tamse, became the first Muslim swimmer to become an Olympian in Amsterdam. This pioneer Olympian share the same story as his fellow Tausugs who were driven to leave their province to find better opportunities in Luzon.
A few got into Manila schools like Tamse, but many, like Adjaluddin, enlisted with the U.S. Army-Philippine Scouts division in 1929, which had an excellent sports training program in athletics and swimming. It is in the latter sport that the Muslim boys excelled for they were natural-born swimmers, growing up surrounded by the waters of their island province.
Natural-Born Swimmer
Adjaluddin took to swimming easily, and became so skilled that he was sent to compete at the 1929 Philippine-Formosa Dual Meet and to the 1930 Far East Games in Japan. There, together with Teofilo Yldefonso, they would both meet—and beat the 1928 Olympic gold medalist, Yoshiyuki Tsuruta in the 200 m. breast stroke, for a rare 1-2 Filipino finish.
Indeed, he became a prized all-around swimmer of the 45th Infantry (Philippine Scouts), an honor shared with his more seasoned team mate, Teofilo Yldefonso, 10 years his senior, and member of the 5th Infantry. The two would engage in friendly rivalry during the annual inter-department athletic tournament called McKinley Games , with separate events for both Filipino and American cadets.
In the 1931 edition held from Dec. 18-19, Adjaluddin participated in just one aquatic event---the 1 Mile Swim. To the shock of the crowd, he upset the Olympian Yldefonso who came in 3rd, and finished with a New Dept. Record of 22 minutes 27 and 2/5 secs. This time also beat the 1-Mile Swim record of the American Cameron of the Air Corps, who clocked in at 27 mins. 3 secs.—a full 5 minutes slower!
Swimming His Way to L.A. 1932
Swimming officials of the P.A.A.F. kept a watchful eye on Adjaluddin as the next year, he was invited to try out for the Philippine Olympic Team being assembled to compete at the 10th World Olympics in Los Angeles, California. The tryouts were conducted at the Rizal Memorial Pool on Saturday, 21 May 1932. The swimmers were whittled down to just 6: Arasad Arpad, Teofilo Yldefonso, Nils Adolf Christiansen, Tuburan Tamse, Abdurahman Ali, and Jikirum Adjaluddin. The 6 swimmers contested the 3 Olympic spots by swimming the 100 m., 400 m. (freestyle), and the 200 m. breaststroke.
The 20 year old Adjuladdin, the youngest of the batch, stunned the crowd and officials when he swam the 200 m. breast stroke at 2 mins, 47 secs.—which broke the existing record of Tsuruta of 2 mins. 48.8 sec. established in the last 1928 Olympics--faster by 1.8 secs.
When all the times have been examined, Adjaluddin—with Yldefonso and Ali—were announced as official members of the Philippine Swim Team for L.A. Both Adjaluddin and Yldefonso were assigned the breaststroke events while Ali, the 100 m. freestyle sprint.
The Philippine delegation set sail for the U.S.
on 11 June 1932, on board the ship “Tatsuta Maru” arriving on
time on 30 July in California, in time for the aquatic events scheduled
from Aug. 6-13 at the Olympic natatorium. Local papers updated Filipino sports
fans about the performance of the national athletes.
First Olympics, Fifth at the Finish!
The initial news of the preliminary events were very encouraging—for the 200 m. breast stroke event, Yldefonso topped his heat ahead of the American world record holder, Walter Spence. Adjaluddin, in his first Olympics—came in 2nd to the current Olympic champion Yoshiyuki Tsuruta. The 2 Filipinos were through to the Semifinals.
The 2 Semifinal Races were held on the same day, with 9 swimmers contesting the 6 Finalist slots. Adjaluddin placed 3rd in the first race topped by Tsuruta and the schoolboy Koike, while Yldefonso placed 2nd to the German, Eugene Sietas. It was unimaginable to conceive that 2 Filipinos were now in the swimming finals of the world’s greatest sports event—and the news of their double feats were proudly bannered in the front pages of local newspapers
In the Finals, however, only one Filipino was
fated get a podium finish. Experience won over youth when Yldefonso placed
third, winning the Bronze. The veteran Tsuruta won the Gold
over the teener, Koike, who bagged the Silver.
Adjaluddin came in 5th, an incredible finish in his debut Olympic appearance—and he would return to the country with great adulation and much rejoicing at the Fort McKinley garrison. Many congratulatory radio-grams across the Pacific were received on their behalf by his Coach Joaquin Alviar of the Post Y.M.C.A and the head of the Philippine delegation, Prof. Candido Bartolome.
Newspapers heaped praises on Adjaluddin’s feat: “the Moro lad departed for L.A. as a dark horse, and to observers, it seemed as though he might spring a surprise. He had repeatedly won over Yldefonso in the latter’s favorite event in the Olympic try-outs.. However, age and experience were needed before he can stand in the first, second, or third order. Given a few more years, Jikirum may yet forge to the front in the next Olympics”.
Going Farther at the Far East Games, 1934
Indeed, Jikirum Adjaluddin trained even harder in his quest for another chance at Olympic glory, joining high-level meets like the 1933 McKinley Games, the 1933 1st and Philippine Endurance Marathon Swim (winner), An invitation from the Australian Swimming Association for Adjaluddin and Yldefonso to swim in a series of meets from January to February in Melbourne had to be shelved because of schedule conflicts—the 1934 Far East Games were coming to Manila.
Jikirum gain an instant berth in the Philippine swim team for the 1934 Far Eastern Games in Manila held from 16-20 May 1934. He would win 2 medals in the regional meet, a Bronze in the 200 m. breast stroke, and Silver in the 4 x 200m. relay. There was no time to catch his breath, as he was sent off to the 1934 International Army-Navy YMCA Pentathlon—which was actually an athletic event, but which he topped anyway!, His last tune-up for the next Olympics was the 1935 Philippines-Formosa Dual Swim Meet.
Keeping Abreast with the Best in Berlin, 1936
With a new Philippine record for the 100 m. freestyle under his belt at 58.9 secs, the breast stroke specialist Adjaluddin was ready for the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Joining him in Germany were Yldefonso on his 3rd Olympics, another breast stroker Arsad Alpad, backstroke record holder Fil-Am Nils Christensen and freestyler Jose Obial (freestyle).
In Berlin, Adjaluddin had 3 chances of winning a medal, as he was entered in 3 events: 100 m. free, 200 m. breast stroke and the 4 x 200 freestyle men’s relay. In the 100 m. free, held on Aug. 8, Obial was eliminated outright , while Adjaluddin came in 2nd in heat 3 with a time of 1:01.0 secs, after British Mickey Ffrench Williams, thus qualifying for the Semifinals.
Adjaluddin lucked out, timing in at 1:00.5 secs, sharing 5th place with 2 other swimmers with identical times—and was shut off from the Finals. The 100 m. crown was won by Hungary’s Feren Csik in 57.6 secs., trailed by 2 Japanese.
After 2 days’ rest, the Philippine team of Adjaluddin, Christensen, Alpad and Obial were supposed to enter the 4 x 200 m. men’s freestyle relay, but “did not start” (DNS) or opted not to participate.
Adjaluddin’s last chance for a podium finish was for his pet event—the 200 m. breast stroke slated for Aug. 13-14. But 2 compatriots were also on the same hunt for a medal--Arsad Alpad and Teofilo Yldefonso. The three hurdled their preliminary heats with ease.
Unfortunately, in the Semifinals, Adjaluddin’ 2:54.0 secs. and Alpad’s 2:54.6 secs.were not enough to advance; only the 33 year old Yldefonso was left fighting for a medal at the Finals, which did not come. Yldefonso took 7th place while Japanese Tetsuo Hamoro and Reizo Koike, finished 1-3. Erwin Sietas of Germany, whom Yldefonso had beaten in the last Olympics, placed second.
Riding the Post-Olympic Wave
Adjaluddin concluded his Olympic journey with his 1936 Berlin stint, but not his love for the water. Sulu’s Pool Royalty continued to be the toast of Philippine swimming, remaining active and competitive before the outbreak of war.
In the second week of July 1938, Adjaluddin was picked by the P.A.A.F to compete at the Philippine-Hongkong Swimming Meet, along with the Philippines' best at the Rizal Natatorium. Representing San Beda, he was fielded in 2 events: the 100 m. individual freestyle race and the 4 x100 m. freestyle men's team relay.
The next year, 1939, he was one of the participants at the Formosa Dual Meet that was held also at the Rizal Memorial pool from Sep. 1 to 3. He had also been there at the 1935 and 1937 biennial games. He reunited with his former team mates Arsad Alpad and Teofilo Yldefonso , in this goodwill meet against the best of Formosan tankers.
On 16, Mar. 1940, Philippine Olympic stars, Adjaluddin and Yldefonso, gave a thrilling exhibition at the opening of a new 25 m. x 12 m. swimming pool in San Juan, Rizal. Also invited were outstanding swimmers from U.P., UST, FEU and M.I.T. A record crowd attended the inauguration of the new Php22,000 pool that was also graced by the 1939 Miss Philippines, Iluminada Tuazon.
Later in the year, at the National Rover Scouts Conference (a gathering of older Boy Scouts from 16-25 years old) held from Dec. 29-31 in Manila, Adjaluddin gave swimming demonstrations and life-saving techniques on water as part of the water safety activities of the program.
Like all Philippine Army men, Corporal Jikirum Adjaluddin was called to active duty during the war, but nothing was heard about him. He is reported to have died young, at age 26, on 1 April 1938 as his date of passing. This is erroneous as newspapers show that from 1939-40, he was still making appearances in meets and swimming-related events.
He must have survived the war unlike his contemporaries Yldefonso and Ali who perished in defense of the country. A more reliable informant comes from Farida Usman Fischer, a relative, who declares that Adjaluddin, passed away in Zamboanga City in the 1990s.
For 80 years, Jikirum Adjaluddin held the distinction of being the only Southeast Asian to qualify for the Semifinals in multiple Olympic swimming events, a feat repeated only in 2016 by Singaporean Joseph Schooling and Quah Zheng Wen. Adjaluddin will always be remembered as a leading figure in the glorious age of Philippine swimming, when, from the late 1920s to the 1970s, Sulu swimmers ruled the waters and reigned supreme.
SOURCES:
“Las Pruebas Olimpicas
de Pista, Manana”, La Vanguardia, 20
May 1932, p. 3
“Yldefonso y Jikirum Se
Cualifican Para Los Semifinales”, La
Vanguardia, 12 Aug. 1932, p.3
“Yldefonso, Jikirum en
los Finales”, La Vanguardia, 13 Aug.
1932
“Jikirum Hace Nuevo
Tiempo Para 200 Mts.”, Desportes de
La Vanguardia, 23 May 1932, p. 3
“Jikirum Places Second
Behind Tsuruta Who Sets New Olympic Mark with 2:26.02”, The Tribune, 13 Aug. 1932, p. 7
“Las Sensaciones
Intimas; las Sorpresas; los Pequeños y Grandes Recuerdos de la Olimpiada
Revelados por Primera Vez”, Seccion
del Hogar, La Vanguarda, 24 Sep. 1932, p. 11
“Yldefonso, Jikirum in
Breast stroke Finals”, The Tribune,
14 Aug. 1932, p. 26
“Post Mermen
Congratulated”, The Tribune, 16
August 1932, p. 7
“Jikirum Wins Marathon
Swim”, The Tribune, 14 Feb. 1933, p.
7
“En Los Campeonatos de
Natacion”, La Vanguardia, 8 Feb. 1934
“Jikirum Competes
in the 100-Meter Freestyle”, The Tribune, 1936
“Swimming, Cage Meets
on Today”, The Tribune, 8 Aug. 1936,
p. 9
“Swimmers Prepare for
Formosa Meet”, The Tribune, 24 June
1939, p. 14
“P. I. Olympic Stars
Give Exhibition at New Pool’, The
Tribune, 17 Mar. 1940, p. 31
“Stage Set for Moot”,
The Tribune, 20 Dec. 1940, p. 21
Official Report of the
1932 Olympic Games. Publication Year, 1933.
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