José “Fofó” Vicente, Puerto Rico’s first flag bearer at the 1948 London Olympics, dies

José “Fofó” Vicente, the first Puerto Rican flag bearer at the 1948 London Olympics, passed away a few days ago, according to the historian Carlos Uriarte. She was 100 years old.

Uriarte added that Vicente was also the first Puerto Rican finalist in the Olympics, finishing ninth in the pole vault event. He also won gold medals at the Central American and Caribbean Games in Barranquilla 1946 and Guatemala 1950.

“Vicente was a top figure in Puerto Rican athletics,” Uriarte told this outlet.

“From the ’40s to the mid-’50s he was the best on the pole. He had national marks and two gold in Central America. He was one of the great figures of Central American athletics and the first Puerto Rican finalist in the Olympics. He made it to the top 12 in those games. He had a very nice career and was a very humble man, ”said Uriarte, adding that Vicente also served the country as an agronomist and scientist..