The first Filipino Olympians
If you ask someone where they were when they heard about Hidilyn Diaz’s historic gold medal in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics or Carlos Yulo’s golden performance in Paris 2024, chances are they’ll remember exactly where they were or what they were doing. Moments like these become national milestones—rare feats when Filipino athletes claim the highest honor on the world’s biggest sporting stage.
These athletes, whether or not they returned with medals, have brought prestige and pride to their nation with their triumphs on the world stage. But more than a century ago, long before the Philippines had ever seen an Olympic medal, the country’s inaugural delegation laid the foundation for its enduring presence in the Olympic games.
Laying the groundwork
It was the summer of 1924 in Paris when David Nepomuceno, a 25-year-old sprinter from Albay, became the very first Filipino to compete in the Olympic Games. By his side was Dr. Regino Ylanan, a physician, educator, and sportsman who served as his coach and team manager. Their participation marked the Philippines’ Olympic debut—an event that remains largely unknown outside sports history circles, yet one that laid the groundwork for everything that came after.
As air travel was far from the norm at the time, traveling from Manila to Paris was no small feat. Nepomuceno and Ylanan boarded a ship that would take nearly two months to reach France. Nepomuceno would train when he could, during stopovers in Singapore and Arabia, where he noted that his “sea legs” made it difficult to sprint.
When they finally arrived, they entered a city buzzing with Olympic fever. The 1924 Games—immortalized in the film “Chariots of Fire”—drew athletes from around the world and were attended by almost 50,000 spectators each day at the Yves-du-Manoir Stadium in Colombes.
And for a country that had only recently begun to organize its own sporting institutions, the Philippines’ presence in such a grand arena was nothing short of monumental.
One can only imagine the immense pressure Nepomuceno felt as he stood on the starting line for the 100-meter and 200-meter races. At only 5’3” tall, he stood strong, singlehandedly carrying the hopes of a nation making its Olympic debut.
Though he did not advance past the heats—finishing behind faster, more seasoned sprinters—his presence alone was historic. The two-man Philippine delegation may not have gone home with a medal, but Nepomuceno’s participation in Paris signaled that Filipino athletes could compete on equal footing with the rest of the world.
Blazing the trail
Behind Nepomuceno stood Dr. Regino Ylanan, whose vision for Philippine sports extended far beyond a single competition. Ylanan was chosen to head the first Olympic delegation—not only because of his background in medicine, but also because he embodied the very spirit of athletic excellence.
He was himself a track and field athlete, and he became the first Filipino to earn a degree in Physical Education. By the early 1920s, he had risen to become the director of physical education at the University of the Philippines, a role that made him the foremost authority on sports training and athletic development in the country.
In later years, he would be remembered as the “Father of Philippine Sports” for his pivotal role in establishing the National Collegiate Athletic Association in 1924 and for heading the Philippine Amateur Athletic Federation.
One for the books
Nepomuceno may not have won in Paris, but his story is not one of defeat. Every medal that Filipino athletes have brought home since—from Teofilo Yldefonso’s bronze medal in the 1928 Amsterdam games (the first Olympic medal for the Philippines), to Carlos Yulo’s record-breaking two gold medals at the 2024 Paris Games—can trace its lineage back to that July afternoon in 1924, when a young man from Albay stood on the track in Paris.
The stories of Nepomuceno and Ylanan are chronicled in the book “The First Filipino Olympians: The Untold Story of Dr. Regino Ylanan and David Nepomuceno.” It is the latest publication of Archivo 1984, an art gallery and publishing house dedicated to preserving, curating, and reintroducing overlooked aspects of Philippine culture, history, and art.
The book will have its public launch in collaboration with the Philippine Sports Commission on Sept. 27 at 3 p.m., held at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum Lobby.
The location serves as a fitting venue—not only as a historic Art Deco landmark and the country’s first national sports complex, but also as the stage where generations of Filipino athletes trained and competed. Declared a National Historical Landmark, the Coliseum embodies the very legacy of Philippine sports, making it the most meaningful setting to honor the nation’s first Olympians.
The program will include a short speech from Philippine Sports Commission Chairman Patrick Gregorio, an audience Q&A, and a heritage tour of the iconic Coliseum led by architect Gerard Lico. Copies of “The First Filipino Olympians” may be purchased here through the Archivo1984 website.
