Josephine de la Viña (April 15, 1946 – November 4, 2011) was a discus thrower from the Philippines who is considered as her country's greatest athlete in the event. She won gold medals in her pet event at the
1966 Asian Games
The 1966 Asian Games, also known as the V Asiad or Bangkok 1966, were a continental multi-sport event that was held from 9 to 20 December 1966, in Bangkok, Thailand. A total of 142 events in 16 sports were contested by athletes during the games. T ...
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 Patria ...
,
1968
Events January–February
* January 1968, January – The I'm Backing Britain, I'm Backing Britain campaign starts spontaneously.
* January 5 – Prague Spring: Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Cze ...
Iloilo
Iloilo ( ; ), officially the Province of Iloilo (; ; ; ), is a province in the Philippines located in the Western Visayas region. Its capital and largest city is Iloilo City, the regional center of Western Visayas and politically independen ...
to a
Mexican-American
Mexican Americans are Americans of full or partial Mexican descent. In 2022, Mexican Americans comprised 11.2% of the US population and 58.9% of all Hispanic and Latino Americans. In 2019, 71% of Mexican Americans were born in the United State ...
father and a Cebuana mother, de la Viña spent her elementary and high school years in
Cebu
Cebu ( ; ), officially the Province of Cebu (; ), is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region, and consists of a main island and 167 surrounding islands and islets. The coastal zone of Cebu is identified as a ...
where she excelled in softball and athletics. She later earned a scholarship at
Cebu Institute of Technology
Cebu ( ; ), officially the Province of Cebu (; ), is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region, and consists of a main island and 167 surrounding islands and islets. The coastal zone of Cebu is identified as a s ...
afro
The afro is a hair style created by combing out natural growth of afro-textured hair, or specifically styled with chemical curling products by individuals with naturally curly or straight hair.Garland, Phyl"Is The Afro On Its Way Out?" '' Ebo ...
hairstyle, which made her an imposing presence on the field.
Career
Dela Viña eventually gave up softball and concentrated on throwing events in athletics like discus, javelin and shot put after being persuaded by school officials to develop her potential.
She was just 18 years old when she won a bronze medal in discus throw at the
1962 Asian Games
The 1962 Asian Games () also known as the 4th Asian Games, IV Asiad, and Jakarta 1962, were the fourth edition of pan-Asian multi-sport event sanctioned by the Asian Games Federation (AGF). The games were held from 24 August to 4 September 1962, ...
1964 Summer Olympics
The , officially the and commonly known as Tokyo 1964 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 10 to 24 October 1964 in Tokyo, Japan. Tokyo had been awarded the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this honor was subseq ...
where she placed 18th among 21 starters.
At the
1966 Asian Games
The 1966 Asian Games, also known as the V Asiad or Bangkok 1966, were a continental multi-sport event that was held from 9 to 20 December 1966, in Bangkok, Thailand. A total of 142 events in 16 sports were contested by athletes during the games. T ...
, Dela Viña threw the discus at a distance of 47.58m to set a new Games record en route to winning the gold medal. She also competed in shot put where she placed fourth overall. At the
1968 Summer Olympics
The 1968 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Mexico 1968 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 12 to 27 October 1968, in Mexico City, Mexico. These were the first Ol ...
, the hefty Cebuana registered 46.56m to place 15th out of 16 entries. She was the only Asian competitor in the field.
Dela Viña was back at the 1970 Asian Games but failed to land a medal. Two years later, she made her third Olympic appearance at the
1972 Summer Olympics
The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and officially branded as Munich 1972 (; ), were an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from 26 August to 11 September 1972. It was the ...
where she barely missed making the final round. The Filipina had a best effort of 53.92m to place 13th overall.
In the inaugural
Asian Athletics Championships
The Asian Athletics Championships is an event organized by the Asian Athletics Association.
History
The competition courted controversy with the IAAF when political in-fighting arose after Israel was excluded from participation in 1977. That edi ...
held in
Marikina
Marikina (), officially the City of Marikina (), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Metro Manila, National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 4 ...
in 1973, Dela Viña threw the discus at a record distance 50.74m to comfortably win the gold medal. By doing so, she became the first Filipino athlete to win a gold medal in both the
Asian Games
The Asian Games, also known as Asiad, is a continental multi-sport event held every four years for athletes of Asia. The Games were regulated by Asian Games Federation from the 1951 Asian Games, first Games in New Delhi, India in 1951, until ...
and
Asian Athletics Championships
The Asian Athletics Championships is an event organized by the Asian Athletics Association.
History
The competition courted controversy with the IAAF when political in-fighting arose after Israel was excluded from participation in 1977. That edi ...
1974 Asian Games
The 7th Asian Games (), also known as Tehran 1974 (), were held from 1 to 16 September 1974 in Tehran, Iran. The Aryamehr Sports Complex was built for the Games. This marked the first time the Asian Games were hosted in the Middle East. Tehran, t ...
to visit her father, who suddenly fell ill in the United States.
Death
Dela Viña died on November 4, 2011, in Iloilo at the age of 65. The cause of her death was not known.
Bakersfield
Bakersfield is a city in and the county seat of Kern County, California, United States. The city covers about near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley, which is located in the Central Valley region.
Bakersfield's population as of the ...
, remains a national record to this day. She also holds the second-best mark of 53.92m, which she achieved during the qualification round of the
1972 Summer Olympics
The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and officially branded as Munich 1972 (; ), were an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from 26 August to 11 September 1972. It was the ...
. She is the only Filipina discus thrower in history to breach the 50m mark and her record is expected to last for many more decades. Dela Viña also held the national shot put record from 1970 to 1975.
In 2018, Dela Viña was posthumously inducted into the Philippine Sports Hall of Fame.Malanum, Jean “PSC bares 10 athletes to be inducted into 2018 Sports Hall of Fame” 12 October 2018. Retrieved 15 September 2020.