| Philippines at the 1928 Summer Olympics | |
|---|---|
.svg) | |
| IOC code | PHI |
| NOC | Philippine Amateur Athletic Federation |
| inAmsterdam, Netherlands May 17, 1928 (1928-05-17) – August 12, 1928 (1928-08-12) | |
| Competitors | 4 in 2 sports |
| Flag bearer | Anselmo Gonzaga |
| Medals Ranked 32nd |
|
| Summer Olympics appearances (overview) | |
ThePhilippines, also known as the Philippine Islands,[a] competed at the1928 Summer Olympics inAmsterdam,Netherlands, which was held from May 17 to August 12. The country's participation in Amsterdam marked their second appearance at the Summer Olympics since their debut at the previous games in1924, which were held inParis, France.
The delegation was composed of eight people, including four competitors: sprinterAnselmo Gonzaga, high-jumperSimeon Toribio, and swimmersTuburan Tamse andTeófilo Yldefonso. The non-competitors wereattaché C. Boissevain, sports official J. Fruitt Maxwell, representative Costancio Alvarado, and medical officerRegino Ylanan. The team was planned by thePhilippine Amateur Athletic Federation and was made through tryouts held in February 1928.
Yldefonso, who competed in themen's 200 meter breaststroke, won the bronze medal in the event. His win earned the nation's first medal at any of the Olympic Games.
| Medal | Name | Sport | Event | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Bronze | Teófilo Yldefonso | Swimming | Men's 200 m breaststroke | August 8 |
The 1928 Summer Olympics were held from May 17 to August 12, inAmsterdam, Netherlands.[3] This edition of the games marked the nation's second appearance at the Summer Olympics since their debut at the last games, the1924 Summer Olympics, which were held inParis, France.[4]
The delegation was organized by thePhilippine Amateur Athletic Federation,[5] although the federation's recognition as theNational Olympic Committee of the nation was in 1929.[6] To be determined through tryouts in February 1928, the federation originally planned for five competitors to compete at the games. Selecting three competitors in athletics, asprinter, amiddle-distance runner, and ahigh jumper, and two competitors in swimming, however the federation was willing to include other competitors in the delegation if the competitors "develop unexpected ability" during the tryouts in other sports included in the program. It was also set that themen's national tennis team that competed at the1928 International Lawn Tennis Challenge Europe Zone (commonly known as theDavis Cup), composed of Guillermo Aragon and Lope Yngayo,[7] were to compete at the games as well.[5] Tennis was removed from the program after the previous games.[8]
The final delegation included eight people.[b] The non-competitors were C. Boissevain, who served as theattaché,[9] J. Fruitt Maxwell as an official in theathletics andswimming events,[10] Costancio Alvarado as a representative,[11] andRegino Ylanan as the medical officer of the team.[12] The athletes that were included were: sprinterAnselmo Gonzaga, high-jumperSimeon Toribio, and swimmersTuburan Tamse andTeófilo Yldefonso.[13] Tamse was the firstFilipino Muslim to compete at a games.[14]
Each nation that entered at theParade of Nations during the opening ceremony of the games were arranged according to theirDutch names, besides the delegations ofGreece that came first and theNetherlands that came last.[15] The Philippine delegation marched 32nd out of the 46 nations in the Parade of Nations within the opening ceremony.[2] Anselmo Gonzagaheld the flag for the delegation.[16]
The athletics events were held in theOlympic Stadium.[17] Toribio first competed in themen's high jump on July 29, where he competed in the Group A of the qualifying stages and qualified for the finals with a jump of 1.83 meters, equaling first place. In the finals, he jumped a height of 1.91 meters and placed fourth after ajump-off.[18] Although Toribio missed out on a medal due to his bad form,GeneralDouglas MacArthur commented that Toribio had potential and that he would supply Toribio with a coach once he arrived in the Philippines.[19]
The same day, Gonzaga competed in the sixteenth heat of the first round of themen's 100 meters, where he ran with an unknown time and placed second to qualify for the next round. He then competed in the fifth heat in the quarterfinals and failed to progress further with a disputed placement of fourth and an estimated time of 11.2 seconds.[20] Two days later, he competed in the fifth heat of the first round of themen's 200 meters. He placed third with a time of 22.7 seconds, and failed to progress further.[21]
| Athlete | Event | Heat | Quarterfinal | Semifinal | Final | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Rank | Result | Rank | Result | Rank | Result | Rank | ||
| Anselmo Gonzaga | 100 m | Unknown | 2Q | 11.2est | 4 | Did not advance | |||
| 200 m | 22.7 | 3 | Did not advance | ||||||
| Athlete | Event | Qualification | Final | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Distance | Position | Distance | Position | ||
| Simeon Toribio | High jump | 1.83 | =1Q | 1.91 | 4 |
The swimming events were held in theOlympic Sports Park Swim Stadium.[17] Tamse competed first in themen's 1500 meter freestyle in the fifth heat of the first round on August 4. He placed last out of five swimmers, swam in an unknown time and failed to progress further.[22] Tamse then competed in themen's 400 meter freestyle in the third heat of the first round on August 7. He placed fourth out of the four athletes that competed with a time of 20:17,[14] and failed to progress further.[23]
Yldefonso then competed in the second heat of the first round on August 6. He placed third out of six swimmers, swam in a time of 2:57.4 and qualified further based on his time. The following day, he swam in the first heat of the semifinals, finished with a time of 2:53.2, and qualified for the finals.[24] In the finals, he finished with a time of 2:56.4. He placed third and earned the bronze medal, which won the nation its first ever Olympic medal of any color.[25]
Tamse and Yldefonso were also set to compete in themen's 100 meter freestyle andmen's 100 meter backstroke respectively, but both did not start in the events.[13]
| Athlete | Event | Heat | Semifinal | Final | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time | Rank | Time | Rank | Time | Rank | ||
| Tuburan Tamse | 100 m freestyle | DNS | Did not advance | ||||
| 400 m freestyle | 5:39.8 | 4 | Did not advance | ||||
| 1500 m freestyle | 20:17 | 4 | Did not advance | ||||
| Teófilo Yldefonso | 100 m backstroke | DNS | Did not advance | ||||
| 200 m breaststroke | 2:57.4 | 3q | 2:53.2 | 3Q | 2:56.4 | | |
Representation is to include a sprinter, a middle distance runner, a high jumper and two swimmers, according to plans of the PAAF...
In the point scoring are Costancio Alvarado, Philippine representative on the 1928 Olympic team...