80 years of the greatest achievement in Ecuadorian sports history
Amidst the silence of the respective authorities, today marks 80 years since the greatest achievement that Ecuadorian athletes have ever accomplished in history: the 1938 victory in Lima, where four young athletes from Guayaquil won the South American Swimming Championship for the country.
Ecuador was unknown in the world of sports. Officially, we had never conquered anything. Our international experience was limited to participating in the 1937 South American Swimming Championship in Montevideo, where Luis Alcívar won a silver medal in the 100-meter freestyle, and Ricardo Planas reached the finals in three events.
When the idea of participating in the 1938 championship in Lima arose, and four main swimmers along with two substitutes were chosen, nobody believed that this small and inexperienced team could defeat the full squads that already had Olympic participation and titles, with 20 or more competitors. It all started in 1937, when two foreign gentlemen, who later became Ecuadorians at heart, read the Argentine magazine El Gráfico and compared the times of the swimmers from that country with Alberto Stagg, Fidel Miranda, and Luis Alcívar.
Arduino Tomasi was an Italian coach who arrived in Guayaquil in 1934. He was traveling to Buenos Aires contracted by the Gimnasia y Esgrima club when the ship anchored in the Guayas due to a quarantine decreed in Callao. Jacobo Nahón was in charge of swimming at LDE. Of Moroccan origin, he settled in our city in the early 1920s. He befriended Tomasi and asked him to evaluate the "fish" from Guayaquil who surprised the coach with their skill. He immediately believed that a winning generation was being formed in Ecuador and pointed out Carlos Luis Gilbert, nicknamed "Grillo", as a future continental star.
In 1938, Nahón and Tomasi decided to make arrangements to send the team to Lima. They now had a new star: "Grillo" Gilbert. In addition, there were other athletes with international potential: Luis Alcívar, Ricardo "Pechón" Planas, Tomás Ángel Carbo, Pablo Coello, and Abel Gilbert.
They had to struggle to secure the funds and cover the expenses of the trip. The supreme leader, General Alberto Enríquez Gallo, went to the Emelec pool to watch our swimmers train, and they made an excellent impression on him. Enríquez promised to provide five plane tickets and two by ship. The rest was financed with contributions from leaders and a public collection.
The tournament started on March 19, 1938, at the Municipal Swimming Pool in Lima. On March 22, the first final took place: the 1,500-meter freestyle. "Grillo" Gilbert admirably defeated the Chilean swimmers Berroeta, Guzmán, and Arrechandieta; the Argentine swimmers Zucal Gallardo and Minar; and the Peruvian swimmer Chocano. On the 24th, the final of the 200-meter freestyle was held, with Planas and "Grillo", the Argentine swimmers Roberto Pepper and Enrique Zucal, the Peruvian swimmers Walter and Enrique Ledgard, and the Chilean swimmer Washington Guzmán. The entire Americas were amazed: Gilbert and Planas finished first and second. That same night, The Four Musketeers won silver in the 4x200-meter freestyle relay.
On March 26, the Gilbert-Planas duo again won gold and silver in the 400 freestyle. Peru, who organized the tournament to win it, had 81 points, with Ecuador following closely behind with 71.
In the final meeting on March 27, the title was decided. At night, life in Guayaquil came to a halt. EL UNIVERSO placed speakers on its building to follow the broadcast of Radio Nacional, from Lima. More than half of the population of Guayaquil was in the streets.
At the municipal pool, the speakers announced the 100-meter freestyle. Alcívar was going to compete against his teammate Planas, the Argentine swimmers Roberto Pepper and Héctor Crotto, the Peruvian swimmers Rodolfo Álvarez and Enrique Ledgard, and the defending champion, the Brazilian Álvaro Tatto. The opponents could only watch the wake of foam left by Alcívar, while Planas finished in fourth place.
If the Ecuadorians finished first and second in the 800-meter freestyle, they would win the South American Championship. Gilbert and Planas were in neighboring lanes. Driven by the heartbeat of thousands of Ecuadorian hearts, "Grillo" and "Pechón" finished first and second, respectively. Ecuador amazed the world: we were South American swimming champions.
Eight decades have passed since that unrepeatable epic. The Four Musketeers from El Guayas filled the entire country with emotion and pride. Today, there is silence due to ignorance of history or apathy from sports entities.
However, in the hearts of Ecuadorians of all ages, there will always be a place to honor those who put us in a high place in the world, applauding four young men who, with skill and courage, were the protagonists of the Lima Achievement. (D)