Antonio Genato (June 9, 1929 – November 22, 2023) was a Filipino basketball player who was part of the

national team A national sports team (commonly known as a national team or a national side) is a team that represents a nation, rather than a particular club or region, in an international sport. The term is most commonly associated with team sports, for exa ...

roster that won a gold medal 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, ...

. He also competed in the

1952 Summer Olympics The 1952 Summer Olympics (, ), officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad (, ) and commonly known as Helsinki 1952, were an international multi-sport event held from 19 July to 3 August 1952 in Helsinki, Finland. After Japan declared in ...

, the

1956 Summer Olympics The 1956 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XVI Olympiad and officially branded as Melbourne 1956, were an international multi-sport event held in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, from 22 November to 8 December ...

and at the

1954 FIBA World Championship The 1954 FIBA Basketball World Cup, FIBA World Championship (also called the 2nd World Basketball Championship – 1954) was the international basketball world championship for men's national teams. It was held by the International Basketball ...

Career

Genato had his high school education at the

San Beda College San Beda University () is a private Catholic coeducational basic and higher education institution run by the Order of Saint Benedict in San Miguel, Manila, Philippines. It was founded by the Benedictines in 1901. The main campus is situated ...

. He did not play competitive basketball during his high school years due to a lack of competitions during the war years. Genato took his pre-med studies also in San Beda. He played three seasons for the

San Beda Red Lions The San Beda Red Lions and Lionesses are the collegiate varsity teams of the San Beda University, best known for their basketball section.Malonso, J. ''"NCAA: A HISTORY''". NCAA(Phils) Homepage. Online. Internet. Accessed 23 May 200NCAA Philippi ...

in the National COllegiatw Athletic Association (Philippines). After finishing his pre-med studies at San Beda, Genato took a course in Medicine at the

University of Santo Tomas The University of Santo Tomas (UST; ), officially the Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, The Catholic University of the Philippines or colloquially as ''Ustê'' (), is a Private university, private Catholic school, Catholic researc ...

and joined the YCO in 1952. Genato joined the YCO Athletic Club in 1952. He also worked as manager of Samar Mining during his stint for the Elizalde ball club. Genato captained the Philippine national team that clinched the bronze medal at the

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

which remained the best performance of an Asian nation in the international tournament. Genato also took part in the

1952 Events January–February * January 26 – Cairo Fire, Black Saturday in Kingdom of Egypt, Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses. * February 6 ** Princess Elizabeth, ...

and

. Genato retired from competitive basketball in 1959 at the age of 30. He briefly coached the PBA team Presto Ice Cream in 1977. He led the team in the first conference of the 1977 season for just two months before he was fired. He finished with a 3–4 win-loss record.

Death

Genato died on November 22, 2023, at the age of 94. He had been admitted to the De Los Santos Medical Center the previous evening. Genato was the last living member of the national team that won bronze in the 1954 FIBA World Championship, and gold at the 1962 Asian Games, the last men's basketball Asian Games gold medal for the Philippines until 2023.

References

External links

* 1929 births 2023 deaths Basketball players from Manila Olympic basketball players for the Philippines Basketball players at the 1952 Summer Olympics Basketball players at the 1956 Summer Olympics San Beda Red Lions basketball players Asian Games medalists in basketball Basketball players at the 1954 Asian Games Philippines men's national basketball team players Filipino men's basketball players University of Santo Tomas alumni Asian Games gold medalists for the Philippines Medalists at the 1954 Asian Games Filipino men's basketball coaches 1954 FIBA World Championship players Great Taste Coffee Makers coaches 20th-century Filipino sportsmen {{Philippines-basketball-bio-stub