Teofilo Yldefonso, a breaststroke swimmer from Ilocos Norte, made history at the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics by winning bronze in the 200m breaststroke competition, becoming the first Filipino and Southeast Asian to win an Olympic medal. This was followed by another bronze medal at the 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles, California. He was also a four-time Gold medalist in the 200m breaststroke at both the Far Eastern Games and the Philippines vs. Formosa Dual Meet. His multiple medals in swimming inspired a generation of Filipino athletes to pursue their Olympic dreams.
During WWII, Yldefonso fought the Japanese in Bataan as a member of the 57th Infantry of Philippine Scouts with the rank of Lieutenant. He survived the infamous Bataan Death March but later died in Japanese captivity in Capas, Tarlac. He is listed as a PVB stockholder whose beneficiaries are children Porfirio, Emilio, Felipe, Norma, Herminia, and Carmelito.
One of his daughters, Norma, won a silver medal at the Asian Games in 1954. In 2006, in his hometown of Piddig in Ilocos Norte, a statue was unveiled in his honor.
Photos below show Yldefonso as the Ilocano Shark and as a WWII Army Lieutenant.
