Son says dad’s Olympic swim feat attainable

Carlos Yldefonso yesterday said he believes a Filipino swimmer will be able to equal if not surpass the bronze medal feat of his legendary father.

But he couldn’t say when.

“Records are not for a lifetime. I believe there’ll be one who can duplicate my father’s achievement,” said Yldefonso, the youngest son of Olympic hero Teofilo, the first Filipino ever to medal in the Olympic Games.

The 67-year-old former swimmer faced local media for the first time as he graced weekly Scoop sa Kamayan session on Padre Faura, Manila.

Teofilo Yldefonso won the country’s first Olympic medal – a bronze – in the 200m breaststroke event of  the 1928 Amsterdam Games.

Four years later in Los Angeles, the Piddig, Ilocos Norte native took his second bronze, along with trackster Simeon Toribio (high jump) and boxer Jose “Cely” Villanueva (bantamweight).

The Filipino Olympic hero won  a total of 144 medals from various international competitions, including the two Olympic bronze medals now on display  in the Philippine Sports Museum.

Carlos Yldefonso returned to the country for the first time in 36 years.

Meanwhile, the Philippine Sports Commission gave Yldefonso P1 million as part of his father’s share under the Athletes Incentive Act Law, where an Olympic bronze medal winner is entitled to a   financial windfall of P500,000.

Yldefonso was also presented the association’s Lifetime Achievement Award, which was supposed to be given to the late swimmer when the group held its Awards Night four years ago.

Currently based in Vallejo, California, Yldefonso admitted he’s no longer familiar with the state of swimming in the country, but offered a piece of advice for Filipino tankers to succeed like his father, especially those competing in this year’s Beijing Olympics.

“Practice, practice and practice and don’t go into drugs,” he said.