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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 SOURCES

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

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

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

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

57. 2-Time Olympian JIKIRUM ADJALUDDIN, Sulu’s Sultan of Swim

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 45^th Infantry (Philippine Scouts), an honor shared with his more seasoned team mate, Teofilo Yldefonso, 10 years his senior, and member of the 5^th 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 3^rd, 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 10^th 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 2^nd 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 3^rd in the first race topped by Tsuruta and the schoolboy Koike, while Yldefonso placed 2^nd 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 5^th, 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 1^st 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 3^rd 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 2^nd 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 5^th 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 7^th 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.

Official Report of the 1936 Olimpic Games, Publication Year, 1937

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/

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

39. Swimmer RENÉ AMABUYOK, 1948 Olympian, Asian Games Medalist, Swim Coach

One of the country’s finest post-war swimmers to emerge from the far South was RENÉ  TALITI AMABUYOK, born 10 July 1923, of Japanese-Filipino lineage, in Zamboanga City, Zamboanga. At the age of 10, he took up swimming, and became so proficient that he progressed to competitive swimming in his high school years at Zamboanga High School.

After his graduation, the young Rene moved to Manila and enrolled at Mapua Institute in 1939 to take up Physical Education. There, he honed his swimming skills as a member of the Mapua Swimming Team, helping win championship trophies for his school in many inter-collegiate meets.

When the Japanese-led global war reached the Pacific in 1941, Rene dropped out of Mapua and transferred to the National College of Physical Education (N.C.P.E.), a school founded in 1932 by the Philippine Amateur Athletic Federation (P.A.A.F.). There, he secured his certificate in Physical Education.

During all these years, Rene and his family kept a low profile being partly Japanese. When the defeat of Japan became imminent, the family Filipinized their surname of Koyubama, reversing the spelling to ‘Amabuyok’, to avert any possible ill feelings towards their Japanese link, even if they considered themselves as true and loyal Filipinos.

Sure enough, when the war came to a close and a sense normalcy began to settle in the country as re-building began in earnest, Rene Koyubama, now known as Rene Amabuyok, resumed his swimming career determined to represent the Philippines and raise its flag abroad. By this time, he was turning in incredible times in national meets, especially in the breaststroke, backstroke and the new butterfly events.

Though Amabuyok never dreamed he would someday be a great swimmer, his qualification to the lean 26-man Philippine Olympic team gave him an opportunity to prove his worth and stretch his potential. Amabuyok was just one of 3 swimmers sent to compete in London held at the end of July in 1948. UST’s Jacinto Cayco and Letran’s Sambiao Basanung completed the swim team.

Amabuyok was entered in only one event—the 200 meter breaststroke the same event at the 1928 Olympics where Teofilo Yldefonso made history by claiming Bronze, the 1^st Filipino Olympic medalist. To get to the finals, he had to hurdle the First Round of Heats that would determine the Semifinalists.

The First Round consisted of 5 Heats; the first 2 finishers of each heat—plus the 6 fastest losers get to advance to the Semifinals. Amabuyok swam in Heat 1 and landed 4^th with a time of 2: 52.6 minutes. When the Semifinalists’ names were called, Amabuyok was one of them.

The Semifinals Round saw Amabuyok grouped again with U.S. Robert Sohl, who had swum with him and who had topped the First Round Heat 1. Amabuyok bettered his time to 2: 51.8 mins,, placing 6^th among 8 swimmers.

In the Semifinals, the first 3 fastest, plus the 2 fastest losers will fight it out for the Finals. When all the times of the 2 semifinal heat swimmers were tallied, Amabuyok found himself in 11^th place, and was thus eliminated. Still, his 11^th place finish among 32 swimmers was a creditable accomplishment.  In the end, the 200 m. breaststroke finals became an all-American finish, with Joseph Verdure (1^st), Keith Carter (2^nd) and Robert Sohl (3^rd) as winners,

London would be his first and last Olympics. His next competition was at the Manila-Hongkong Interport Meet of 1949 which the Philippines topped. Then the inaugural 1^st  Asian Games opened in New Delhi, India in 1951. There, Amabuyok was entered in his favorite 200 m. breaststroke event and won a Silver Medal in 2:54.8 minutes behind his team mate Jacinto Cayco, who won Gold in 2:54.4, a new games record.  

In his sterling swimming career, Amabuyok also mastered the new butterfly stroke, which only became an independent event beginning in 1956 at the Melbourne Olympics. He held the 100 m. butterfly record (1:14.8 mins.)  for 7 years (1950-1956), until his student, , teen sensation Freddie Elizalde broke it at a 1956 High School Boys swim league with a time of 1:12.6 mins.

After his retirement, Amabuyok became a coach of the Indians Swim Teams of the American School in Manila, handling both the girls and boys varsity teams. He led the teams to several significant wins in meets like those mounted by the Manila Athletic Association for Secondary Schools.

At the 1958 National Intersecondary School Meet, the American School, paced by the aforementioned Freddie Elizalde, captured the Boys Division  championship title to put an end to FEU’s domination of the tournament.

In inter-department school presentation, Coach Amabuyok, with his fine singing voice (he moonlit as a professional singer), would join the swimming team in musical productions. Off-season would find him either swimming at the Rizal Memorial pool or taking care of his wife and 7 children, 5 girls and 2 boys. It is interesting to note that one of her daughters, Arene Cecilia “Pinky” Anas Amabuyok became the Philippine beauty delegate to the 1968 Miss World Contest in London. She placed 5^th , the first time a Filipino reached the finals of the oldest beauty pageant in the world.

Asked about the pronouncement of her daughter’s supposed wish to become a nun—news that generated buzz around the world—coach Amabuyok said he knew nothing about his daughter becoming a nun. “She’s just like any other girl,” he said.

Amabuyok remained as a much-loved coach of the American School—now known as International School based in Makati—until his retirement. From the 70s onwards, there has been no news, nor any details of his passing—but swimmer, coach and Olympian Rene Amabuyok will always be known as a multi-faceted athlete whose love for mentoring young swimmers knows no bounds.

 SOURCES:

1948 London Olympics Official Report, LA84 Digital Library, https://digital.la84.org/digital/collection/p17103coll8/id/5717/

Rene Amabuyok, Olympedia

Photo Credits: Pinky A. Santos FB Page : (Coach Amabuyok, with Indian Swim Team of American School/ Amabuyok with Trophy)/ Rodante Sacdalan FB Page: (Rep Men’s Swimming Team 1^st Asian Games, New Delhi, India/ American School articles: “R. Amabuyok, Swim Coach”; “Swimming Season Starts”/ Nostalgia Manila, “ Amabuyok,Baker Rizal Swim Meet 1952”