# Philippines at the 1932 Summer Olympics

The Philippines, also known as the Philippine Islands, competed at the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, United States, which was held from July 30 to August 24. This appearance marked the third appearance of the nation. Until the 2020 Summer Olympics, this was the first and only game where Filipinos won more than one medal and also earned its highest medal haul.
The delegation consisted of nine people: Foreign Consultant Rudolph Mueller, and six Olympians: high jumper Simeon Toribio, boxers John Gray, José Villanueva, José Padilla Jr., and Carlos Padilla Sr., and swimmers Abdurahman Ali, Teófilo Yldefonso, and Jikirum Adjaluddin. There were also two coaches.
Three people won a bronze medal: Simon Toribio as part of the Men's high jump category in Athletics, José Villanueva as part of the Men's bantamweight category in Boxing, and Teófilo Yldefonso as part of the Men's 200-meter breaststroke in Swimming.

## Medalists

| Medal | Name | Sport | Event | Date |
| Bronze | Simeon Toribio | Athletics | Men's high jump | July 31 |
| Bronze | José Villanueva | Boxing | Men's bantamweight | August 11 |
| Bronze | Teófilo Yldefonso | Swimming | Men's 200 m breaststroke | August 13 |

## Background

The Games were held from July 30 to August 14, 1932, in Los Angeles, California. This edition marked the nation's third appearance to the Summer Olympic Games since their second appearance at the 1928 Summer Olympics, which was held in Amsterdam, Netherlands. This appearance also marked the third since their first appearance at the 1924 Summer Olympics.

### Qualification and delegation

The delegation was organized by the Philippine Amateur Athletic Federation, after the organization's recognition as the National Olympic Committee in 1929. The participation was accepted after a meeting, deciding on a system where they would pick 50 participants. The practice was conducted throughout the country, with an elimination system. Each province had an athletic commissioner, who is responsible for picking athletes for the competition.
The foreign consultant of the team was picked to be Rudolph Mueller. Joaquin Elizalde, a member of the delegation, was picked to be a jury participant, specifically for athletics. The team consisted of high jumper Simeon Toribio, boxers John Gray, José Villanueva, José Padilla Jr., and Carlos Padilla Sr., and swimmers Abdurahman Ali, Teófilo Yldefonso, and Jikirum Adjaluddin. An additional two coaches were present. The team calculated to approximately nine people, who were transported on the Tatsuta Maru ship. The delegation was one of the first to arrive.

### Opening ceremony

The Philippines was the 28th out of 37 countries which participated in the opening ceremony. The Philippines didn't have a flag bearer.

## Athletics

The athletic events were held at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Toribio first competed in the qualifying round on July 31. Then, he ended up with a bronze medal after jumping to a height of 1.97 meters, tied with four other athletes.

### Field events

| Athlete | Event | Final | Final |
| Athlete | Event | Distance | Position |
| Simeon Toribio | High jump | 1.97 | |

## Boxing

The boxing events were held at the Grand Olympic Auditorium. Gray participated in the Flyweight classification. In the first round, he fought Edelweis Rodriguez from the Italian delegation on August 9. After a decision, he lost, gaining 9th place, the last place. He tied with four other people. The same day, Villanueva fought in the Bantamweight category. He won in round one, without a competitor. The next day, in the quarterfinals, he fought Akira Nakao of the Japanese delegation. After a decision, he won. He went to the semi-finals, fighting Lefty Gwynne of the Canadian delegation on August 11. He won, fighting against Joseph Lang of the American delegation on August 13. He lost, but he won third place.
On August 9, Padilla participated in the Lightweight classification. After competing against Laurie Stevens from the South African delegation, he lost. He gained 8th place, the last place, tied with six other people. The same day, Padilla fought against Lucien Laplace of the French delegation in round one, losing after a decision. He gained 9th place, the last place, tied with eight other people.
| Athlete | Event | Round of 16 | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Final | Final |
| Athlete | Event | Opposition Result | Opposition Result | Opposition Result | Opposition Result | Rank |
| John Gray | Flyweight | Rodriguez (ITA) L | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| José Villanueva | Bantamweight | — | Nakao (JPN) W | Gwynne (CAN) L | Lang (USA) W w/o | |
| José Padilla, Jr. | Lightweight | Stevens (RSA) L | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| Carlos Padilla | Welterweight | Laplace (FRA) L | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |

## Swimming

The swimming events were held at the Olympic Park Swimming Stadium. Ali competed in the 100-meter freestyle on August 6, specifically in heat four, lane four. He got 1:02.2, gaining the third position in his heat. He didn't qualify, gaining 12th place. On August 11, Adjaluddin and Yldefonso participated in the 200-meter breaststroke. On heat one, Adjaluddin participated, with a time of 2:49.9, qualifying with second place. On heat three, Yldefonso participated, with a time of 2:53.7 in first place, eventually qualifying. In the semi-finals, both participated, with Adjaluddin in heat one. He swam with a time of 2:50.02, gaining third place and qualifying. In heat two, Yldefonso participated, with a time of 2:48.4, gaining second place and qualifying. In the finals, Yldefonso gained third place with a time of 2:47.1, while Adjaluddin gained fifth place with a time of 2:49.2. Yldefonso and Aldjaluddin's times helped beat the record nine times.

### Men

| Athlete | Event | Heat | Heat | Semifinal | Semifinal | Final | Final |
| Athlete | Event | Time | Rank | Time | Rank | Time | Rank |
| Abdurahman Ali | 100 m freestyle | 1:02.2 | 3 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| Teófilo Yldefonso | 200 m breaststroke | 2:53.7 | 1 Q | 2:48.4 | 2 Q | 2:47.1 | |
| Jikirum Adjaluddin | 200 m breaststroke | 2:49.9 | 2 Q | 2:50.2 | 3 Q | 2:49.2 | 5 |