Ulpiano Babol

Ulpiano Babol was born and raised in Cebu City, the youngest of five brothers who were all orphaned at a young age and lived with extended family. He took up swimming in his youth, practicing in the nearby shipping ports of Lapu-Lapu. At the age of 17, he was discovered by a local swimming coach and offered the chance to attend Far Eastern University (FEU) in Manila to hone his skills on the swimming team and study business accounting. During this time he was chosen to represent his country at the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne, Australia where he competed in the 400 metres freestyle event and on the 4 × 200 metres freestyle relay team. Two years later, he also competed at the Asian Games in Tokyo as a part of the team that won a silver medal in the 4 × 200 metres freestyle relay, alongside fellow 1956 Olympians Agapito Lozada, Bana Sailani, and Dakula Arabani.

Upon graduation from FEU, where he attended for about four years, he briefly worked as a bodyguard for well-known businessman and patron Fred Elizalde, a close friend. He retired from competitive swimming in the 1960s following a defeat in a competition by Haydée Coloso, after whom he named his eldest daughter. Babol later moved to Manila, where he took a job in the office of a brewery, got married and had five children. He died suddenly from a heart attack in 1973, while visiting his brother in Cebu City.