Luis Subercaseaux Errázuriz (10 May 1882 – 1973[citation needed]) was a Chilean diplomat and athlete. He is claimed to be the first Chilean and Latin American sportsman to have competed in the Olympic Games, at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens.[1]

Luis Subercaseaux Errázuriz
Ambassador of Chile to Peru
In office
1934193?
Preceded byManuel Rivas Vicuña
Succeeded byAlfredo Duhal de Vásquez
Ambassador of Chile to Spain
In office
19511953
Preceded byJorge Barriga Errázuriz
Succeeded byÓscar Salas Letelier
Ambassador of Chile to the Holy See
In office
19241930
Preceded byHoracio Fernández
Succeeded byRicardo Ahumada
Personal details
Born(1882-05-10)10 May 1882
Santiago, Chile
Died1973(1973-00-00) (aged 90–91)[citation needed]
Sports career
National team Chile
SportAthletics
Event(s)100 meters, 400 meters, 800 meters, High jump, Football
TeamClub de Deportes Santiago Morning

Biography

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Born in Santiago, he was the second son of Ramón Subercaseaux Vicuña, a career diplomat, Ambassador of Chile to the Holy See for more than two decades, and Amalia Errázuriz Urmeneta, writer and author of the book "Rome of the spirit". Both his parents were members of well-known and well-off families. Luis Subercaseaux Errázuriz was the brother of Juan Subercaseaux, a Roman Catholic archbishop.

According to the Comité Olímpico de Chile, Luis Subercaseaux Errázuriz competed at the age of 13 in the 100, 400 and 800 metres.[1] Many Olympic historians dispute this claim and maintain that, although he was entered in these events, he did not take part in any race.[2] The International Olympic Committee website lists him as a non-starter in the 100 metres[3] and the 800 metres,[4] and does not list him in the 400 metres.[5] An appraisal of a famous photo of series 2 of the 100 meters sprint, performed by facial recognition experts of the Chilean forensic police, concluded that Subercaseaux was one of the participants.[6]

During this period in his life, he studied at the Colegio Benedictino located in the Basque Provinces of France, where he kept his record on the high jump. He was also one of the founding members of the Chilean football team Club de Deportes Santiago Morning and a successful football player.[citation needed]

Through 1928 he was ambassador of Chile in Peru, Spain and the Vatican, in addition to being an attendant of Chilean business in Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Greece, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland and Yugoslavia from the consular office in London.[citation needed]

A memorial to Subercaseaux stands in the entrance of the Chilean Olympic Museum.[1]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Comité Olímpico de Chile. "La Presencia de Chile en los Juegos Olimpicos" (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 20 December 2006. Retrieved 28 December 2006.
  2. ^ "Luis Subercaseaux". Olympedia. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  3. ^ "Athens 1896 Athletics 100m Men Results". Olympics.com. IOC. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  4. ^ "Athens 1896 Athletics 800m Men Results". Olympics.com. IOC. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  5. ^ "Athens 1896 Athletics 400m Men Results". Olympics.com. IOC. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  6. ^ Cavalla, Mario (17 May 2014). "Esta es la foto que descubrió al primer chileno olímpico". Las Últimas Noticias. Santiago, Chile. p. 29. Archived from the original on 5 October 2018. Retrieved 2021-08-08.
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