Cornelio A. PADILLA

Cornelio Padilla was one of the greatest cyclists the Philippines has ever produced. Known as Jun to his family, and Paddy to his friends and co-cyclists, he first achieved fame in winning the 1964 National Amateur Cycling Championship at the age of 17 and the top five were selected for the road race and team time-trial at the Tokyo Olympics a few months later. Padilla was in the leading bunch at one stage in the road race but an accident caused a spill and he lost his place at the head of the race. He did manage to finish, albeit limping across the finish line on foot.

He remained amateur standing the following year and won the bronze medal in the road race at the Asian Amateur Cycling Championship. Paddy turned professional in 1966 and won the gruelling Tour of Luzon, now the Tour of the Philippines (Le Tour de Pilipinas). He retained his title the following year and was the last back-to-back winner of the race until 1982 when Jacinto Sicam achieved the feat. In 1967 Padilla was given the Presidential Award for Meritorious Service in Sports by President Ferdinand Marcos. The Philippine Sportswriters Association also awarded him the Amateur Cyclist of the Year Award in 1964, Professional Cyclist of the Year in 1966 and Sportsman of the Year in 1967.

Padilla used his earnings from professional cycling to pursue a Law Degree, which he obtained in 1974. Despite retiring from cycle racing he remained close to the sport and was involved with the formation of the Professional Cycling Association of the Philippines (PCAP) and was a leading light in establishing the Marlboro Tour in 1977. Padilla started his legal career with Cacho Printing press before becoming personnel manager and house lawyer at the National Book Store. He eventually became one of the NBS top executives, in charge of the company’s human resources department.