Akiko Thomson-Guevara

Akiko Thomson-Guevara, a pioneering athlete and advocate, was born in Washington, DC, to an American father and Japanese mother. When she was five months old, her family moved to the Philippines, where she has since called home. She began swimming at age six and quickly advanced, joining the Philippine national team by age ten. At fourteen, she made her Olympic debut at the 1988 Seoul Summer Olympics.

Thomson-Guevara went on to compete in the 1992 and 1996 Olympics and excelled in the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, winning eight gold medals over four SEA Games competitions.

After retiring from competitive swimming, she transitioned to media and communications, working with Probe Productions at ABS-CBN. In 2011, she founded the Akiko Thomson Swimming School and served on the Philippine Sports Commission from 2009 to 2016, where she championed sports development in the Philippines.

Married to Samuel “Chips” Guevara, with whom she has three children, Thomson-Guevara is also actively involved with Special Olympics Pilipinas, inspired by her experience as a mother to a child with Down syndrome. Her advocacy promotes inclusivity in sports for individuals with special needs.

In 2024, during the Paris Summer Olympics, the World Olympians Association honoured Thomson-Guevara as an Olympian for Life at OLY House Paris. The award, presented by Prince Albert II of Monaco, recognised her lifelong commitment to the Olympic movement. She currently serves as the president of the Philippine Olympian Association.