Rudy Fernandez (triathlete)
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Rodolfo Fernandez (December 5, 1947 – January 2, 2022), commonly known as Rudy and referred to as the ''"Iron Man of Asia"'', was a multi-awarded, one-legged Filipino
triathlete A triathlon is an endurance multisport race consisting of swimming, cycling, and running over various distances. Triathletes compete for fastest overall completion time, racing each segment sequentially with the time transitioning between the ...
from
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 ...
who had finished a degree in Physical Education at the
University of Baguio The University of Baguio (UB; ), formerly Baguio Technical and Commercial Institute (Baguio Tech), is a private, Filipino, multidisciplinary, autonomous university in Baguio, Philippines. It was founded by Fernando Gonzaga Bautista and Rosa Ca ...
.


Sports career

Fernandez competed in
running Running is a method of terrestrial locomotion by which humans and other animals move quickly on foot. Running is a gait with an aerial phase in which all feet are above the ground (though there are exceptions). This is in contrast to walkin ...
,
swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, such as saltwater or freshwater environments, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Swimmers achieve locomotion by coordinating limb and body movements to achieve hydrody ...
, and
cycling Cycling, also known as bicycling or biking, is the activity of riding a bicycle or other types of pedal-driven human-powered vehicles such as balance bikes, unicycles, tricycles, and quadricycles. Cycling is practised around the world fo ...
and was a member of the national team for running from 1972 to 1976. After his leg amputation in 1978, Fernandez continued to join
triathlon A triathlon is an endurance multisport race consisting of Swimming (sport), swimming, Cycle sport, cycling, and running over various distances. Triathletes compete for fastest overall completion time, racing each segment sequentially with the ...
competitions. He prided himself in always finishing the race despite the obvious handicap and won numerous medals in national and international competitions. He was also a participant in an athletic competition in early 2005 held in
Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...
. In 1996, Fernandez attracted attention by swimming the 28-mile Iloilo Strait from
Guimaras Guimaras (), officially the Province of Guimaras (; ), is an island province in the Philippines located in the Western Visayas region. The capital is Jordan, while the largest local government unit is the municipality of Buenavista. The provin ...
to
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 ...
in eight hours, beating
Terry Fox Terrance Stanley Fox (July 28, 1958June 28, 1981) was a Canadian athlete, humanitarian, and cancer research activist. In 1980, having had one leg amputated due to cancer, he embarked on a cross-Canada run to raise money and awareness for can ...
's record who swam across the
English Channel The English Channel, also known as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates Southern England from northern France. It links to the southern part of the North Sea by the Strait of Dover at its northeastern end. It is the busi ...
, which earned him the moniker "''The Iron Man of Asia''". Also in 1996, Reader’s Digest dubbed him as one of Asia's "Heroes of Today". Fernandez became a torchbearer for two
multi-sport events A multi-sport event is an organized sporting event, often held over multiple days, featuring competition in many different sports among organized teams of athletes from (mostly) nation-states. The first major, modern, multi-sport event of intern ...
: the 2001
SEA Games The Southeast Asian Games, commonly known as SEA Games is a biennial multi-sport event involving participants from the current 11 countries of Southeast Asia. The games are under the regulation of the Southeast Asian Games Federation with su ...
, and the ''Palarong Pambansa 2005'' (Philippine National Games). He was also active in
philanthropy Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...
and was supporting a charity that aids youth, especially those with physical disabilities and the differently-abled. This became his motivation in joining
Pinoy Big Brother ''Big Brother'' () is a Philippine television reality competition show broadcast by ABS-CBN, Kapamilya Channel, TV5, and GMA Network based on the Dutch reality television franchise '' Big Brother''. Originally hosted by Willie Revillame, ...
.


Pinoy Big Brother

Fernandez was a housemate of
ABS-CBN ABS-CBN is a leading Philippine media and content company. It serves as the flagship media brand of ABS-CBN Corporation, a subsidiary of Lopez Holdings Corporation. Once the country's largest free-to-air television network, ABS-CBN has since ...
's ''
Pinoy Big Brother ''Big Brother'' () is a Philippine television reality competition show broadcast by ABS-CBN, Kapamilya Channel, TV5, and GMA Network based on the Dutch reality television franchise '' Big Brother''. Originally hosted by Willie Revillame, ...
(PBB): Celebrity Edition 1'' with Good Shepherd's Fold Academy Orphanage as his chosen charity. His fellow housemates initially thought he was physically weak due to the amputation. However, they were not aware that he was given a clean bill of health by the show's doctors prior to entering the house. At 58 years old, his blood pressure was still at 120/80. He was called "Tatay Rudy" by the housemates as he was the father figure of the other housemates. Big Brother and the fans refer to him as "Mang Rudy," out of their respect for his status and age. He was the oldest contestant, both in the Celebrity edition and in Pinoy Big Brother history. He was the first housemate to be officially evicted from the house on Day 21 (February 25, 2006). When he left, he gave away key chains to his fellow housemates as tokens of remembrance. While in the house, the housemate he was most comfortable with was
Gretchen Malalad Gretchen Malalad (born January 10, 1980) is a Filipina athlete, beauty titleholder, and news personality. She was a 2005 Southeast Asian Games karate gold medalist and a former beauty pageant contestant in Binibining Pilipinas 2003, where she ...
and
Mich Dulce Mich Dulce (born Michelle Dianne Lopez Dulce on May 8, 1981) is a Filipino people, Filipina fashion designer, milliner, corsetiere, feminist activist, actress, artist and vocalist of bands Death By Tampon, Us-2 Evil-0 and The Male Gaze. Biograph ...
. Fellow housemate
Zanjoe Marudo Zanjoe Acuesta Marudo (; born July 23, 1982) is a Filipino actor and model. He began his career after finishing as the 4th Big Placer of '' Pinoy Big Brother: Celebrity Edition 1'' (2006). Since then he has starred in the TV series' ''Lovers ...
had made a trademark quote on him saying, "''Ang Iron Man, nag-joke na naman''" ("The Iron Man is joking again") because of the corny jokes Fernandez cracks while laughing to himself. Fernandez had also given good advice to the other housemates before he left the house.


Post PBB and later activities

Fernandez was still active in
triathlon A triathlon is an endurance multisport race consisting of Swimming (sport), swimming, Cycle sport, cycling, and running over various distances. Triathletes compete for fastest overall completion time, racing each segment sequentially with the ...
competitions after his stint in Pinoy Big Brother and even won a number of awards including the ''2nd
Capiz Capiz (), officially the Province of Capiz (Capiznon language, Capiznon/Hiligaynon language, Hiligaynon: ''Kapuoran sang Capiz''; ), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the central part of the Western Visayas Regions of the Philippines ...
International Triathlon (TriAksyon)'' in 2018.


Personal life

Fernandez was born in the town of
Ajuy, Iloilo Ajuy, officially the Municipality of Ajuy (, ), is a municipality in the province of Iloilo, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 53,462 people. Geography Ajuy is from Iloilo City and from Roxas City. Barangays ...
and raised in the premises of Good Shepherd's Fold Academy at
Buenavista, Guimaras Buenavista, officially the Municipality of Buenavista (; ), is a municipality and the largest settlement in the province of Guimaras, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 52,899 people. History Buenavista is the ol ...
where he was once nicknamed "Dingky" as a child. He had an amputation at the thigh of his right leg. The amputation was due to a grenade explosion at the former Alegro Theater in
Iloilo City Iloilo City, officially the City of Iloilo (; ; ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Western Visayas Regions of the Philippines, region of the Philippines, located on the southeastern coast of th ...
in July 1978 which also cost the life of his then 16-year-old brother-in-law who was sitting next to him at the movie theater. He began using a mechanical hydraulic prosthetic leg in the 1980s. Fernandez was married to a
midwife A midwife (: midwives) is a health professional who cares for mothers and Infant, newborns around childbirth, a specialisation known as midwifery. The education and training for a midwife concentrates extensively on the care of women throughou ...
named Melba, with whom he had three sons, with the first names all ending in "itz" (Spitz, Fritz, and Ritz). He taught physical education at the Western Institute of Technology in
Iloilo City Iloilo City, officially the City of Iloilo (; ; ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Western Visayas Regions of the Philippines, region of the Philippines, located on the southeastern coast of th ...
. Biking was still part of his daily routine when he had no schedule for competition or whenever he was in his hometown.


Death

Fernandez died on January 2, 2022, at Western Visayas Medical Center in
Iloilo City Iloilo City, officially the City of Iloilo (; ; ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Western Visayas Regions of the Philippines, region of the Philippines, located on the southeastern coast of th ...
, aged 74, due to
natural causes In many legal jurisdictions, the manner of death is a determination, typically made by the coroner, medical examiner, police, or similar officials, and recorded as a vital statistic. Within the United States and the United Kingdom, a distinc ...
. He was reportedly hospitalized on December 29, 2021, when he was not able to fully recuperate after he suffered a mild stroke while cycling at
Zarraga, Iloilo Zarraga, officially the Municipality of Zarraga (, , ), is a municipality in the province of , Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 27,305 people. Zarraga is north from Iloilo City. Geography Barangays Zarraga is ...
on December 26, 2021. His remains were laid to rest at White Haven Memorial Park in the town of Zarraga on January 8, 2022. The Iloilo provincial government later gave a "
posthumous Posthumous may refer to: * Posthumous award, an award, prize or medal granted after the recipient's death * Posthumous publication, publishing of creative work after the author's death * Posthumous (album), ''Posthumous'' (album), by Warne Marsh, 1 ...
plaque of recognition" to Fernandez which was received by his son Fritz.


References


External links


Mang Rudy... A Hero, A Celebrity, Our very own
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fernandez, Rudy Filipino amputees Filipino male triathletes Amputee-category Paralympic competitors Sportspeople from Iloilo Pinoy Big Brother: Celebrity Edition contestants University of Baguio alumni Visayan people 1947 births 2022 deaths 20th-century Filipino sportsmen