Elma Muros

Elma Muros-Posadas (born January 14, 1967, in Magdiwang, Romblon) also known as the "Long Jump Queen" of the Philippines and a heptathlon champion, is a former member of the Philippine Track and Field National Team and now a legend in Philippine track and field history who specialized in long jump. She also competed in the heptathlon, 100m and 400m hurdles, 100m, 200m, and 400m sprint alongside the "Sprint Queen" of the Philippines and also fellow legend, Lydia de Vega.^[2] Elma is one of the foremost track and field athletes produced by the Philippines under the Marcos regime's National Sports Program, Gintong Alay, that was launched in 1979, but was eventually disbanded in 1986 after the ousting of Ferdinand Marcos and replaced by the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) in 1990.

Elma Muros

Personal information
Birth name	Elma Tansingco Muros
Full name	Elma Muros-Posadas
Nationality	Filipino
Born	(1967-01-14) January 14, 1967 (age 57) Magdiwang, Romblon
Height	5 ft 4 in (163 cm)
Spouse	George Posadas
Sport
Country	Philippines
Sport	Track and field
Event(s)	Long jump, Heptathlon
Achievements and titles
Personal best	57.57 (400 hurdles)
Medal record Representing  Philippines Women's athletics Event 1st 2nd 3rd Asian Games - - 2 Asian Athletics Championships - 2 2 Southeast Asian Games 15 1 2 Total 15 3 6 Asian Games 1990 Beijing 400 m hurdles 1994 Hiroshima Long jump Asian Athletics Championships 1983 Kuwait Long jump 1989 Delhi Long jump 1993 Manila Long jump 1995 Jakarta Long jump Southeast Asian Games^[1] 1983 Singapore Long Jump 1985 Bangkok Long Jump 1989 Kuala Lumpur 100m Hurdles 1989 Kuala Lumpur Long Jump 1991 Manila Long Jump 1991 Manila 100m Hurdles 1993 Singapore Long Jump 1993 Singapore 400m Hurdles 1995 Chiang Mai 100m 1995 Chiang Mai 200m 1995 Chiang Mai Long Jump 1997 Jakarta Long Jump 1997 Jakarta Heptathlon 1999 Brunei Long Jump 2001 Kuala Lumpur Heptathlon 1981 Manila 4x100 Relay 1987 Jakarta Long Jump 1991 Manila 100m

Early life and education

Elma Muros was born on January 14, 1967, in the town of Magdiwang, Romblon in Sibuyan Island. She is the 6th eldest child in a brood of nine. Her mother is a former athlete who competed in the 400 meter sprint in her youth. She attended the Roosevelt College in Rizal under a scholarship granted by then Rizal governor Isidro Rodriguez.^[3] Later on, she was granted a scholarship in University of Baguio, then soon after transferred out to Far Eastern University.^[3]

Career

Muros is involved in track and field competitively as early as when she was 14 years old. At that time, she was scouted by local officials looking for potential athletes for the Southern Tagalog Regional Athletics Association sporting meet.^[3]

Muros-Posadas won a total of 15 gold medals in the Southeast Asian Games,^[4] a record number in the athletics competition which she jointly holds with Jennifer Tin Lay of Myanmar.^[5]

Muros won eight South East Asian Games titles in the long jump the first at the age of 16 in 1983. At one point, she also dominated the sprints winning both the 100 and 200 metres in the 1995 Southeast Asian Games.^[3]

She was also a competitor for the Philippines in the long jump event at the Olympic Games in 1984 and 1996.^[6] She represented her country at the World Championships in Athletics on four occasions: in the 400 m hurdles in 1991, the long jump in 1993 and 1995, and the 100 metres in 1997. She was also a five-time participant at the IAAF World Indoor Championships, competing in 1985, 1989, 1993, 1995 and 1997 in sprints and long jump.^[7]

She was a two-time medallist at the Asian Games, taking the long jump bronze medal at the 1994 Games as well as a 400 metres hurdles bronze medal in 1990.^[8] She won four medals in the long jump at the Asian Athletics Championships over the course of her career, winning silver medals in 1983 and 1989, then bronze medals at the 1993 and 1995 editions.^[9]

She holds several Filipino records: 57.57 seconds for the 400 m hurdles, 5346 points for the heptathlon (set at the 1998 Asian Games), 3:40.9 minutes for the 4×400 metres relay, 25.05 seconds for the indoor 200 metres and 6.11 m for the indoor long jump.^[10]

She was a two-time PSA Athlete of the Year, winning the award in 1993 and 1995.^{[citation needed]} She attended Far Eastern University in Manila.

Since her retirement in 2001,^[4] Muros-Posadas has appeared several times on the reality television show Survivor Philippines.^{[citation needed]} In 2011, Elma landed a role in her very own biographical and loosely-based independent movie directed by Paul Soriano, Thelma, who won best director in the 30th Luna Awards with his direction in this movie. Elma's life and a combination of many provincial athletes and their lives and struggles were portrayed by Maja Salvador, who won Best Actress in the 30th Luna Awards played the titular role for Thelma. The movie won Best Screenplay and Best Cinematography in the same awards.

On April 23, 2017, Elma received the first-ever Palarong Pambansa Lifetime Achievement Award during the national games’ opening ceremony. According to Rappler's Fidel Feria's article, Department of Education Assistant Secretary, Tonsito Umali said that the "8-time gold medalist for long-jump in the Southeast Asian Games – was chosen by virtue of her winning “local and international competitions, and for inspiring local athletes” through her success. "^[11]

In 2016, Muros was reported to be working at Brent International School in Biñan, Laguna, University of the East and Jose Rizal University where she along with her husband train the youth in sports.^[2] In early 2017, Muros along with former boxer Onyok Velasco was tasked by the Philippine Sports Commission to aid the country's grassroots program.^[12]

Personal life

Elma is married to George "Jojo" Posadas, an Ilonggo coach of the Philippine athletics team with whom she has a daughter and a son. Muros-Posadas took a break from sports, opting to skip the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, Spain due to her first pregnancy and the birth of her only daughter. Elma's first born, Klarrizze (b. 1992), a former student in Brent International School was also athletic and not only excelled in track and field, but also participated and competed internationally in multiple sports such as cross country, basketball, soccer, and volleyball. Up to this day, she still holds the grade school and high school track records in the said school.

In later years, Klarrizze pursued basketball and received a full athletic scholarship in the Ateneo De Manila University. Klarrizze was part of the UAAP Women's Basketball Lady Eagles Team for four seasons (2012–2016). Muros-Posadas' daughter obtained her bachelor's degree in Psychology and is now a preschool teacher. Eleven years after the birth of Elma's first child, she gave birth to her son, George Michael Jr. (b. 2003) who is now also a student in Brent International School and is active and excels in sports as well. Presently, they are residents of Santa Rosa, Laguna.^{[2][failed verification]}

References

1. Marc Anthony Reyes. "While cleaning, Muros-Posadas unearths treasure of medals—and memories". Inquirer.net. Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
2. Reyes, Marc Anthony (9 October 2016). "Whatever happened to Elma Muros". Inquirer.net. Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
3. "Elma Muros SEA Games Heptathlon Queen". Pinoyathletics. 8 May 2020.^{[permanent dead link]}
4. Reyes, Marc Anthony (11 May 2003). "Mama Elma". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved 1 November 2010.
5. Washif, Jad Adrian (20 December 2013). "Thailand Triumph at the Southeast Asian Games". International Association of Athletics Federations. Retrieved 22 February 2014.
6. . Sports-Reference.com. Archived from the original on 2010-03-08.
7. Elma Muros-Posadas. IAAF. Retrieved on 2014-02-22.
8. Asian Games. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2014-02-22.
9. Asian Championships. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2014-02-22.
10. Filipino Athletics Records. Pinoy Miler. Retrieved on 2014-02-22.
11. [1]. Rappler. Retrieved on 2018-02-01.
12. Giongco, Nick (17 February 2017). "Onyok, Elma back". Tempo. Retrieved 17 February 2017.