ACHIEVEMENTS

Asian Games

• 1958 Tokyo 400m Freestyle – Silver
• 1958 Tokyo 4x100m Freestyle – Silver
• 1962 Jakarta 4x100m Freestyle – Silver
• 1966 Bangkok 4x100m Freestyle – Silver
• 1966 Bangkok 4x100m Medley – Silver
• 1962 Jakarta 100m Butterfly – Bronze
• 1962 Jakarta 4x100m Medley – Bronze
• 1966 Bangkok 100m Butterfly – Bronze

Hall of Fame

• 2021 – Philippine Sports Hall of Fame Inductee

BIOGRAPHY

Born in 1943, Olympian swimmer Gertrudes “Tuding” Lozada would go on to become an inspiration for aspiring Filipina athletes.

Gertrudes Lozada’s debut in the international sporting scene was at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. She was known for being the youngest participant in that Olympiad. The “Baby of the Olympics”, as called by many, placed last in the 100-meter freestyle and landed 6th in the 400-meter free.

After this feat, she moved on to dominating the 1958 Tokyo Asian Games in the freestyle events. Lozada brought home two silver medals in the 400 meters, and 4×100 meters freestyle teaming up with her sister, Corazon Lozada, Victoria Cagayat and veteran Haydee Coloso-Espino.

With this stint under her belt, she returned to the Olympics with a brighter hope of delivering a podium finish at the 100 meter butterfly event, but ended with a DNS remark.

Lozada continued representing the country’s tri-colors at the Asian continental meet during the 1960s. In 1962, she bagged the 4×100 meter freestyle silver medal and in 1966, the silver medals from the 4×100 meter freestyle and medley events.

Today, the “youngest Olympian in history” runs a school in her name, hoping to produce another teener that would beat the adults in the swimming scene. She was recognized for her contributions to Philippine sports and was inducted into the fourth batch of the Philippine Sports Hall of Fame in 2021.