Philippines anthem’s Olympic debut

For the first time in 100 years, the Philippine national anthem was played twice in the Olympics when gymnast Carlos Yulo bagged two gold medals in Paris last weekend. But it wasn’t the first time that ‘Lupang Hinirang’ was heard to honor the country. When weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz captured a gold in Tokyo three years ago, Julian Felipe’s 1898 musical composition was also played.

It was in 1988 when the anthem made its Olympic debut. That was in Seoul when Arianne Cerdena bagged the gold in the women’s singles event of bowling which was a demonstration sport. In 2008, Willy Wang took the gold in the men’s nanquan event of wushu, a demonstration sport at the Beijing Olympics. Since bowling and wushu weren’t (and still aren’t) in the Olympic regular calendar, the gold medals didn’t count in the Philippines’ treasure trove. So Diaz’ feat was officially the first Philippine gold medal in the Olympics.

Over 70 countries have never won an Olympic medal and the list includes Brunei, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cape Verde, Benin, Bhutan, Republic of Congo, Guam, Myanmar, Nepal and Palestine. There are more than 40 nations with Olympic medals but not a single gold. This roster includes Cyprus, Turkmenistan, Paraguay, Malaysia, Montenegro, Sri Lanka, Saudi Arabia, Tanzania, Iceland, Iraq, Guatemala, Ghana, Haiti, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan and Lebanon. In total, at least 110 countries have not pocketed an Olympic gold medal. That’s how difficult it is to hit paydirt.

Cerdena, 62, lives in Los Angeles where she works as a nurse at the California Hospital Medical Center. In a message a few days ago, Cerdena confirmed that the national anthem was played in Seoul after her bowling victory and “it took days to sink in that I won.” She mentioned that after the Olympics, three of her opponents turned pro.

“I never imagined that all my hard work will produce a gold but deep inside, I felt that I could win a medal,” said Cerdena who ended her bowling career with five Southeast Asian Games golds, an Asian Games gold in the team of five and an Asian Championships gold in doubles. She settled in Los Angeles in 2002 and was inducted into the Philippine Sports Hall of Fame in 2021.

Cerdena said she monitored Yulo’s exploits in Paris. “I’m so proud of him, winning not only one but two golds,” she said. “He truly deserves it. I’ve followed his competitions and I could see the confidence and determination in his eyes. He doesn’t talk much but will impress you with performance. If given a chance, please tell Carlos that I’m so proud of him.” Cerdena visited home last March and will always cherish the memory of her Seoul triumph when the national anthem was first played in the Olympics.