In the company of greatness

The Magnificent Seven was enshrined as Philippine Sports Hall of Famers in induction rites at the PSC House, Rizal Memorial Sports Complex last Saturday and witnessing the ceremony were high-ranking officials from a wide cross-section of sports stakeholders. PSC chairman Patrick Gregorio welcomed Senate Committee on Sports chairman Sen. Bong Go, PAGCOR representative Catalino Alano, GAB chairman Atty. Francisco Rivera, Ayala Foundation representative Luisa Vargas, SBP president Ricky Vargas, PATAFA president Terry Capistrano, ABAP president Marcus Manalo, PFF president John Gutierrez, PTA president Raffy Alunan, PHILTA secretary-general Mayor John Rey Tiangco, Philippine Paralympics Committee secretary-general Ral Rosario, ASAPHIL president Jean Henri Lhuillier and GAP representative Bea Estuya.

Rosario, a 1978 Asian Games gold medalist in 200m freestyle swimming and two-time Olympian, was particularly proud because Hall of Famer Adeline Dumapong-Ancheta became the first para-athlete ever to be inducted.

Dumapong-Ancheta, 52, is in the Philippine sports history books as the first para-athlete to win a Paralympic medal. She did it in powerlifting with a bronze at the 2000 Sydney Paralympics. The Ifugao lifter has collected five golds at the ASEAN Para Games and more golds at the World Games, Asian Powerlifting Open Championships, Asian Benchpress Championships, Paralympic Qualifiers and Malaysian Paralympiad.

In an emotional acceptance speech, Dumapong-Ancheta revealed that some years back, she was rebuffed by PSC for requesting support despite her record of achievements and told to seek assistance instead from DSWD. She couldn’t hold back the tears, speaking from her wheelchair.

“The wound cup deep but now, as a Hall of Fame inductee, I’m reminded that progress is possible,” she said. “The very institution that once made me feel unseen is honoring me with the highest recognition. While my name may be on this award, this also belongs to the entire para-sports community, an affirmation that para-athletes have a rightful place in this space. To the athletes of today and tomorrow, dream bigger than your circumstances. Dream bigger than the limitations others may place upon you. Work hard, stay humble and continue pushing the boundaries of what is possible.”

Dumapong-Ancheta was three years old when she lost mobility from the waist down with polio. At six, she was brought by her father to Bahay Mapagmahal, a housing project for youth with disabilities. She used crutches and bilateral braces up to 16 then became totally wheelchair-bound. In the School for Crippled Children at the Philippine Orthopedic Center, Quezon City, Dumapong-Ancheta was encouraged by Belgian missionary Sr. Ross Catry to do sports. After high school, she attended St. Paul’s College and earned a degree in Secretarial Administration. Dumapong-Ancheta was invited by Clarita Isidro, a disabled powerlifter, to take up the sport in 1997 and put in the hours to train. But it was more of a hobby as she worked in marketing at Golden Alley Trading in Quezon City and five years for a company manufacturing wheelchairs in Cagayan de Oro. Eventually, powerlifting became her main preoccupation and today, she’s a PPC spokesperson who often delivers inspirational speeches. At the induction, she was accompanied by her daughter Alyssa Mae whom she raised as a single parent. It was an unforgettable moment in Philippine sports.