Haydée Coloso-Espino

{{Infobox swimmer

| name = Haydée Coloso-Espino

| image =

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| national_team = Philippines

| strokes = Freestyle, Butterfly

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| birth_date = {{birth date|1937|8|28|mf=yes}}

| birth_place = Dueñas, Iloilo, Philippine Commonwealth

| death_date = {{death date and age|2021|8|12|1937|8|28}}

| death_place = Iloilo City, Philippines

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| medaltemplates = {{MedalCountry|the {{PHI}}}}

{{MedalCount|total=yes

|Asian Games|3|5|2

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{{MedalCountry | the {{flag|Philippines|1936}} }}

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Haydée Coloso-Espino (August 28, 1937 – August 12, 2021) was a Filipino swimmer who competed at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome as well as the Asian Games on three occasions.

Career

Once dubbed as “Asia's Swim Queen,"{{cite news |title=PH's greatest female swimmer dies at 83 |url=https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/08/13/21/phs-greatest-female-swimmer-dies-at-83 |access-date=August 19, 2021 |work=ABS-CBN News |date=August 13, 2021 |language=en |quote=Haydee Coloso-Espino, considered as the Philippines' greatest female swimmer, passed away on Thursday. She was 83. Coloso-Espino, once nicknamed “Asia's Swim Queen," racked a total of 10 medals from the 1954 Asian Games, 1958 Asian Games and 1962 Asian Games.}} Coloso-Espino won a total of ten medals from the 1954 Asian Games, 1958 Asian Games and 1962 Asian Games. Of those medals, three were gold, five were silver, and two were bronze. Her gold medals came from the 100-meter freestyle and butterfly events. Alinea, Eddie G. [https://www.manilatimes.net/2019/01/03/sports/sports-top/pinay-athletes-highlight-women-empowerment-in-2018-asiad/490873/ “Pinay athletes highlight women empowerment in 2018 Asiad.”] The Manila Times. January 3, 2019. Retrieved June 12, 2020.

Coloso was just 16 years old when she won two gold medals and a silver medal at the 1954 Asian Games in Manila.{{cite web |title=Olympians Who Won a Medal at the Asian Games |url=http://www.olympedia.org/lists/114/manual |website=www.olympedia.org |publisher=Olympedia |access-date=August 17, 2021 |quote=Haydée Coloso{{!}}PHI{{!}}SWI{{!}}1960{{!}}3–5–2; 1954 Manila SWI gold: 100 m freestyle and 100 m butterfly, silver: 4×100 m freestyle relay; 1958 Tokyo SWI gold: 4×100 m medley relay, silver: 100 m freestyle, 200 m freestyle, and 4×100 m freestyle relay; 1962 Jakarta SWI silver: 4×100 m freestyle relay, bronze: 100 m freestyle and 4×100 m medley relay.}} She came from behind to beat Japanese swimmers Tomiko Atarashi and Shizue Miyabe in the 100m freestyle final at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex pool. She also led the hosts to a sweep of the 100m butterfly with Norma Yldefonso and Sandra von Giese taking the silver and bronze medals, respectively. In the 4 x 100m freestyle relay, she teamed up with Sonia von Giese, Gertrudes Vito and Nimfa Lim to win the silver medal behind Japan.

Following her outstanding performance at the 1954 Asiad, Coloso-Espino was a shoo-in to make the national team to the 1956 Summer Olympics. However, she became pregnant before the meet and had to take a time off from competitive swimming.

She was chosen as Woman Swimmer of the Year for three consecutive years (1953, 1954 and 1955) by the Philippine Sportswriters Association.

Coloso-Espino resumed her swimming career after giving birth and won four more medals at the 1958 Asian Games in Tokyo. She anchored the victorious 4 x 100m medley relay quartet that included Jocelyn von Giese, Victoria Cagayat and Sandra von Giese. She also won silver medals in the 100m freestyle, 200m freestyle and 4 x 100m freestyle relay along with Victoria Cullen, Corazon Lozada and Gertrudes Lozada.{{cite news |title=Greatest Pinay swimmer passes away |url=https://mb.com.ph/2021/08/13/greatest-pinay-swimmer-passes-away/ |access-date=August 13, 2021 |work=Manila Bulletin |date=August 13, 2021}}

Two years later, Coloso-Espino saw action in the 100m freestyle at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, but did not get past the heats.{{cite Sports-Reference |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/co/haydee-coloso-1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200418101542/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/co/haydee-coloso-1.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 18, 2020 |title=Haydée Coloso Olympic Results |access-date=August 17, 2021}}{{cite web |title=Haydée Coloso |url=http://www.olympedia.org/athletes/49701 |website=www.olympedia.org |publisher=Olympedia |access-date=August 17, 2021}} She capped her swimming career by winning three more medals at the 1962 Asian Games in Jakarta.

Retirement

After her stint at the 1962 Asiad, Coloso-Espino retired from competitive swimming and became an educator. She briefly resided overseas but returned to her ancestral house in Iloilo to raise her seven children. She taught at the Far Eastern University, her alma mater, Lyceum of the Philippines and Araullo High School. She retired from teaching in 1993.{{cite news |title=Asian Swim Queen needs help |url=https://www.philstar.com/sports/2020/02/17/1993740/asian-swim-queen-needs-help |accessdate=February 17, 2020 |work=The Philippine Star |date=February 17, 2020}}

Death

On January 16, 2020, Coloso-Espino was admitted at the Medicus Medical Center in Iloilo, due to chronic respiratory infection. She was able to recover from hospitalization but remained frail and asthmatic. Later confined in her residence in Mandurriao in Iloilo City, she died on August 12, 2021, sixteen days before her 84th birthday.

Legacy

With ten medals (3 gold, 5 silver and 2 bronze medals), Coloso-Espino holds the record for the most number of medals won by a Filipino athlete - male or female - in the Asian Games. Gahol, Lorenzo M. [https://www.philstar.com/other-sections/starweek-magazine/2017/06/10/1708715/asias-swim-queen-recalls-glory-days “Asia’s swim queen recalls glory days.”] The Philippine Star. June 10, 2017. Retrieved June 11, 2020.{{cite news |last1=Menor |first1=Dominic |title=Gold sweep in Indonesia part of long history of Pinay power at Asian Games |url=https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/09/02/18/gold-sweep-in-indonesia-part-of-long-history-of-pinay-power-at-asian-games |access-date=August 19, 2021 |work=ABS-CBN News |date=September 2, 2018 |language=en}}

She and fellow swimmer Jocelyn von Giese were the first Filipina athletes to win gold medals in the Asian Games. She is one of few Pinays to win at least three gold medals in the quadrennial multi-sport meet, along with sprinter Mona Sulaiman and bowler Bong Coo.

In 2016, Coloso-Espino was inducted into the Philippine Sports Hall of Fame as part of the second batch of inductees. [https://www.philstar.com/sports/2016/01/19/1544443/torre-heads-hall-fame-honorees “Torre heads Hall of Fame honorees.”] The Philippine Star. January 19, 2016. Retrieved June 11, 2020. She is the first Filipina swimmer to earn the accolade.