The sprinter was the first athlete to represent the Philippines at the Paris Summer Olympics of 1924.
As we celebrate 100 years since the Philippines first participated in the Olympics, it’s a timely chance to find out more about the first Filipino Olympian.
David Nepomuceno was a sprinter who joined the 1924 Summer Olympics, which also took place in Paris, France.
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Two other athletes, fellow sprinter Fortunato Catalon and decathlete Juan Taduran, were supposed to join him. However, they did not compete in their respective events.
1924 Paris Olympics
The 1924 Olympics marked not only the Philippines’ debut, but it was also the first time any Southeast Asian country competed at the Summer Games.
Nepomuceno, as the sole Filipino athlete in the 1924 Olympics, served as the Philippines’ flagbearer.
Officials B. Minelle and Regino Ylanan joined the Philippine delegation. Ylanan was also Nepomuceno’s athletics coach and the founder of the National Collegiate Athletic Association.
The sprinter went on to compete in two events: the men’s 100 meters and 200 meters. Though he did not advance to the quarterfinals, he cemented himself in the nation’s history.
Life and Legacy
Nepomuceno was born on May 9, 1900 in Oas, Albay.
Prior to making it to the Olympics, Nepomuceno (along with Catalon and Taduran) mostly competed in the Far East.
All three athletes were gold medalists at different editions of the Far Eastern Championship Games. Nepomuceno and Catalon were both considered “world-class sprinters” in the mid-1920s as well.
Following his run at the Olympics, Nepomuceno won gold and silver medals at the 1925 Far Eastern Games. In 1927, he took home another gold and a bronze medal.
He also set his personal bests in those years: 22.5 seconds in the 200 meters (1925) and 10.6 seconds in the 100 meters (1927).
Later in his life, he served with the Philippine Scouts in the United States Navy. He died on duty on September 27, 1939 at only 39 years old.
Banner image via Wikimedia Commons.
