The Philippine track and field legend Lydia de Vega, ‘Asia’s fastest woman in the 80’s, has returned to our Creator at the age of 57.
This piece of very heartbeaking news was announced by De Vega’s daughter, Stephanie Mercado de Koenigswarter, through a Facebook post on the evening of August 10.
Eleven days after Lydia’s tracheotomy and paracentesis, the ‘Sprint Queen’ bade her last farewell. It was the Lord’s will to free her from pain and suffering after battling beast cancer for four years.
The legendary Lydia De Vega was a native of Meycauayan City, Bulacan. She earned the tagline as Asia’s fastest woman and became more popular as she was a budding beauty.
She became even more popular as she wins gold after gold throughout her career in the 1980s and early ’90s. She won 15 gold medals, including the 100-meter race in the 1982 and 1986 Asian Games and the 100- and 200-meter sprint double in the Asian Athletics Championship in 1983 and 1987.
She won a total of nine golds and a silver in the 100- and 200-meter races, along with the 400-meter and the long jump in five Southeast Asian Games. Certainly a sports icon and truly deserving of a spot in ou Philippine History.
On July 28, Video 48 posted a REWIND post about the sports icon’s one and only movie.
“REWIND: Did you know that in 1982, sports hero and Asia’s sprint queen Lydia de Vega starred in a movie, “Medalyang Ginto” portraying herself, as the blurb says “the film about her controversial life— her sacrifices, her triumph against odds, her emergence as an international champion!” “This picture will make you proud that you are a Filipino,” it says.
“Ms. de Vega is back in the news again, this time in a sad note, as she is battling cancer and she needs our help, our prayer!”
“Medalyang Ginto”
Millennials probably aren’t aware that our ‘Sprint Queen’ starred in her own life story movie.
Yes, Lydia de Vega portrayed herself in this 1982 film “Medalyang Ginto” which was produced under All-Star Films and directied by Romy Suzara. The film tackled her controversial life, her sacrifices, her triumph against challenges, as well as her emergence as an international champion; a true inspiration to the Filipinos.
Together with Lydia in the film are (late) Tony Santos, Sr., Perla Bautista, Joseph Sytangco, and Dave Brodett.
Lydia’s father was the late Francisco’ Tatang’ De Vega (portrayed by the late Tony Santos, Sr), a policeman whose rigid coaching turned her into becoming our country’s most successful and most popular female track and field athlete.
Lydia, who was among a brood of six, first found her talent for sprinting when she was only 12. Her career spanned 17 years and to date, she remains the ‘Sprint Queen’ as no one has ever reached her track records.
Meanwhile, the Facebook page Ang Tubong Meycauayan shared this tribute post to the Hall of Famer Lydia De Vega:
(Photos courtesy of Simon Santos, Video 48)