Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 21) — If you’re from the 1980s, Lydia de Vega is a name you’re certainly familiar with.
The Meycauayan, Bulacan native is a track and field athlete who was once hailed as the fastest woman in Asia.
De Vega first gained attention when she bagged gold in the 200-meter and 400-meter events of the 1981 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games held in Manila.
She continued with a gold finish in the 100-meter dash in the 1982 Asian Games in New Delhi, India then would duplicate the feat in the 1986 edition in Seoul, South Korea.
Establishing herself as the best in the region, De Vega won the gold in the 100 meters at the 1987, 1991, and 1993 SEA Games while also topping the 200-meter event in 1981, 1983, 1987, and 1993 of the biennial sports meet.
Now at the age of 57, De Vega is currently in “very critical” condition due to complications caused by her stage 4 breast cancer diagnosis, her family said.
In the Asian Athletics Championships, De Ve Vega took home the gold in the 100-meter and 200-meter events in 1983 and 1987 held in Kuwait City and Singapore, respectively.
De Vega represented the Philippines in the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, USA and 1988 Olympics in South Korea.
From 1989 to 1991, De Vega took a break from athletics as she completed her degree and got married. One of children, Stephanie, played volleyball for the De La Salle University where she won three UAAP titles.
De Vega retired after competing at the track and field event of the 1994 Manila-Fujian Games where she won gold in the 100-meter dash. She held the 100-meter and 200-meter national records for over three decades.
