Mona Sulaiman (9 June 1942 – 21 December 2017) was a Filipino sprinter who competed at the Asian Games and the Summer Olympics.

Early life

Mona Sulaiman was born in a

barrio ''Barrio'' () is a Spanish language, Spanish word that means "Quarter (urban subdivision), quarter" or "neighborhood". In the modern Spanish language, it is generally defined as each area of a city, usually delimited by functional (e.g. residenti ...

Cotabato Cotabato or North Cotabato ( hil, Aminhan Cotabato; ceb, Amihanang Cotabato; Maguindanaon: ''Pangutaran Kutawatu'', Jawi: ڤڠوترن كوتاواتو; fil, Hilagang Cotabato), officially the Province of Cotabato, is a landlocked province in ...

on 9 June 1942 to Kudelat and Aminan Sulaiman.

Career

Sulaiman started her career competing in regional meets. She competed at the

1962 Asian Games ) , Host city = Jakarta, Indonesia , Nations participating = 17 , Athletes participating = 1,460 , Events = 120 in 13 sports , Opening ceremony = 24 August 1962 , Closing ceremony = 4 September 1962 , ...

Jakarta Jakarta (; , bew, Jakarte), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta ( id, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta) is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Lying on the northwest coast of Java, the world's most populous island, Jakarta ...

where she won gold medals in the 100 and 200 metre sprints and relay events. She also garnered a bronze medal in the shot put event at the same tournament. She competed at the Summer Olympics in the

100 metres The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been conteste ...

event at the

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Ja ...

and the

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarch ...

editions. Sulaiman also excelled in the disciplines of

pentathlon A pentathlon is a contest featuring five events. The name is derived from Greek: combining the words ''pente'' (five) and -''athlon'' (competition) ( gr, πένταθλον). The first pentathlon was documented in Ancient Greece and was part of t ...

and discus throw.

Post-retirement

Sulaiman qualified for the 1966 Asian Games but opted not to participate reportedly for refusing to undergo a gender test. Her physique and speed made some people question her gender. She retired from competitive play and worked in the private sector until the 1990s when she was hired by the

Philippine Sports Commission The Philippine Sports Commission (PSC, ) is an agency of the Philippine government which tackles matters concerning sports in the country. The sports agency is independent from the Philippine Olympic Committee which enjoys autonomy from the gov ...

to serve as consultants for the national athletics team. Sulaiman was inducted to the PSC Hall of Fame in January 2016.

Health and death

In October 2016, Sulaiman was reportedly confined to a wheelchair. She died in

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

on 21 December 2017. She was 75.

Legacy

Solaiman and bowler

Bong Coo Olivia "Bong" Coo (born June 3, 1948) is a Filipino sports administrator and retired professional bowler. She is regarded as the most decorated Filipino athlete. As a member of the Philippine national team, she has amassed a total of 78 medals w ...

share the Asian Games record for the most gold medals won by a Filipino athlete - male or female - in a single edition. In the 1962 Asian Games in Jakarta, she won three gold medals (100 meter dash, 200 meter dash, and 4100 meter relay). Solaiman was among the second group of Filipino sports legends inducted into the

Philippine Sports Hall of Fame The Philippine Sports Hall of Fame (PSHOF) is a hall of fame established in 1999 to honor Filipino athletes, trainers, and coaches with the first batch of inductees included in the hall of fame in 2010. The Philippine Sports Commission manages th ...

on January 25, 2016 at the

Century Park Hotel The Century Park Hotel, formerly the Century Park Sheraton Manila, is a hotel in Manila, Philippines. The hotel is hosted in a 19-storey building and has 478 rooms as of 2015. History In 1974, the Philippine government encouraged the private sec ...

in Manila.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sulaiman, Mona 1942 births 2017 deaths Athletes (track and field) at the 1960 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1964 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1962 Asian Games Medalists at the 1962 Asian Games Filipino female sprinters Olympic track and field athletes of the Philippines People from Cotabato Asian Games medalists in athletics (track and field) Asian Games gold medalists for the Philippines Asian Games bronze medalists for the Philippines Philippine Sports Hall of Fame inductees Olympic female sprinters