By RachelMagday

 

Brenda Ramos Zinampan, a 47-year-old high school teacher and athletics coach from Solano, Nueva Vizcaya, captured four gold medals in the Women’s 45+ category at the 23rd Asia Masters Athletics Championships held November 5–10, 2025 in Chennai, India.

Zinampan topped the field in the 400-meter hurdles, 100-meter dash, 80-meter hurdles and pole vault, overcoming lingering injuries to her ankle and back to deliver the sweep for Team Philippines. She said she carried “a fighting heart and the Filipino spirit” to India and credited the encouragement of her family, teammates and the Filipino public for keeping her going.

Zinampan’s latest success builds on strong recent performances. In 2023 she emerged victorious at the 22nd Asia Masters Athletics Championship, held November 8–12 at the New Clark City Athletics Stadium in Capas, Tarlac, where she won two golds and three silvers.

In a previous interview, she recalled competing in the Palarong Pambansa and representing Nueva Vizcaya in the Cagayan Valley Regional Athletic Association (CAVRAA) Meet in high school, but she stepped away to prioritize finishing college and never imagined she would fulfill that athletic dream later in life.

Her 2025 season also includes a bronze in the pentathlon at the World Masters Athletics Championship in Gainesville, Florida, and she was a silver medalist at the Palarong Pambansa in 1995. Zinampan teaches and coaches at Bascaran National High School in Solano and trains in the afternoons and evenings because of her school schedule.

She urged fellow masters and senior athletes to prioritize health and fitness and to keep pursuing their dreams, stressing that medals and podiums are secondary to well‑being and the power to inspire others. She also expressed heartfelt thanks to her family, teammates and everyone who supported her journey to the 23rd AMAC.