Juan "Papo" Franceschi (12 January 1947 – 20 October 1990),[2] was a Puerto Rican track and field athlete from Ponce, Puerto Rico.[3]
Juan "Papo" Franceschi Vega | |
|---|---|
| Born | 12 January 1947[1] |
| Died | 20 October 1990 |
| Occupation | Athlete |
Biography
editJuan "Papo" Franceschi was born in Barrio San Anton, Ponce, Puerto Rico, on 12 January 1947.[4] Franceschi Vega was known as "El Bolido de San Antón". He was a cousin of Otoniel Velez Franceschi, and a track and field runner in Puerto Rico, participating in the 1966 X Juegos CAC Games where he won a gold medal in the 400 meters with a time of 46.7, a new record in the Games. He also won Bronze in the long relay ("relevo largo").[5] In 1967 he won fourth place at the Panamerican Games in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, with a score of 46.09.[6] He also competed in the 1968 Olympic games in Mexico City.[7] He was shot and killed on 20 October 1990 and is buried at Camposanto Cristo Resucitado in Ponce. He was father to two sons and three daughters, Jhonny Franceschi is one of his sons.[8]
Awards
editIn 2000, he was inducted in the Ponce Sports Hall of Fame.[9] He is also recognized at Ponce's Parque de los Ponceños Ilustres in the area of sports.[10] In 2001, Franceschi became the 101st inductee in the Pabellón de la Fama del Deporte de Puerto Rico (Puerto Rican Sports Hall of Fame).[11]
Legacy
edit- In Ponce's Barrio San Anton, there is street named after him.[12]
- Starting in 1988, his birth city has celebrated a 5K Marathon in his memory.[13]
- Franceschi is honored at the Park of Illustrious Ponce Citizens in Tricentennial Park in Ponce, Puerto Rico.[14]
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ Pista llevara el nombre de Papo Franceschi. Es Noticia. Ponce, Puerto Rico. 25 October - 7 November 2019. p. 15. Accessed 25 October 2019.
- ^ Globalization and Race: Transformations in the Cultural Production of Blackness. Kamari Maxine Clarke and Deborah A. Thomas, editors. Duke University Press. 2006. page 177.
- ^ Galería de Corso-Puertorriqueños Ilustres. Archived 2012-03-13 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 24 April 2013.
- ^ Pista llevara el nombre de Papo Franceschi. Es Noticia. Ponce, Puerto Rico. 25 October - 7 November 2019. p. 15. Accessed 25 October 2019.
- ^ Galería de Corso-Puertorriqueños Ilustres.Archived 2012-03-13 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 24 April 2013.
- ^ El Atletismo en Puerto Rico. Carlos Uriarte Gonzalez. El Nuevo Dia. 4 January 1998. Retrieved 24 April 2013.
- ^ Puerto Rico at the Olympics: Selected Puerto Rican Results. Sports Encyclopedia. 2018. Accessed 29 March 2018.
- ^ A Escena el 1er Festival Deportivo Juan “Papo” Franceschi: Se Conmemora el 25to Aniversario del Maratón 5K Juan “Papo” Franceschi del Bo. San Antón de Ponce. Noticias Sur Puerto Rico. 1 April 2013. Retrieved 24 April 2013.
- ^ Corren 5K en honor a ‘Papo’ Franceschi. La Perla del Sur. Ponce, Puerto Rico. 2 April 2013. Accessed 29 March 2018.
- ^ Sports. TravelPonce.com Retrieved 29 March 2018.
- ^ Pabellón de la Fama del Deporte Puertorriqueño. Pabellón de la Fama del Deporte Puertorriqueño. Retrieved 24 April 2013.
- ^ Scripts of Blackness: Race, Cultural Nationalism, and U.S. Colonialism in Puerto Rico. Isar P. Godreau. University of Illinois Press. 2015. p.54. ISBN 978-0-252-03890-7
- ^ Corren 5K en honor a ‘Papo’ Franceschi. La Perla del Sur. Ponce, Puerto Rico. 2 April 2013. Accessed 29 March 2018.
- ^ Sports. TravelPonce.com Retrieved 24 April 2013.