Lydia de Vega

Lydia de Vega-Mercado (born December 26, 1964[1]) who is a retired athlete from the Philippines, was considered Asia's fastest woman in the 1980s.[2]

Lydia de Vega-Mercado
Personal information
Birth nameLydia de Vega
Nickname(s)Diay
Born (1964-12-26) December 26, 1964
Meycauayan, Bulacan, Philippines
Sport
CountryPhilippines
SportTrack and field
Event(s)100m, 200m, 400, Long Jumps
Coached byTatang de Vega
Claro Pellosis
Retired1994

Athletic career

De Vega was a member of the Gintong Alay Track & Field program instituted by President Marcos in 1979. She was first coached by her father Tatang De Vega and Claro Pellosis. Her coaches in the period 1980 to 1984 were Santos Magno & Anthony Benson. De Vega first made an impact at the 1981 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games held in Manila with gold medal performances in the 200 and 400 meter events exceeding records set at the Asian Games.[3] As Asia's sprint queen, she ran away with the gold medal in the 100-meter dash in the 1982 New Delhi Asiad[2] and duplicated the feat in the 1986 Seoul Asiad[2] where she clocked 11.53 seconds.[4]

De Vega won the gold in the 100 meters at the SEA Games (1987, 1991 and 1993). She also topped the 200 meter event in 1981, 1983, 1987 and 1993. She has twice won both the 100 and 200 meter golds in the Asian Athletics Championships - 1983 and 1987. She holds both Philippine and Southeast Asian records with her personal best of 11.28 seconds.[4]

De Vega was a two-time Olympian, represented the Philippines at the 1984 and 1988 Summer Olympics.

She also brought home a silver medal in the 200-meter race from the 1986 Seoul Asiad, and has once represented a friend for the Long Jumps and broke her record.

In 1989 until 1991, De Vega took a break from athletics. During this period she got a degree and got married. She entered the 1991 Asian Athletics Championships and made a decent finish of seventh place.[3]

The sprinter retired after competing at the track and field event of the 1994 Manila-Fujian Games held in October. She won the 100m event. She announced that she would not be competing at the upcoming edition of the Philippine National Games at that time.[5]

Later life

De Vega served as a councilor of her native Meycauayan town in Bulacan province.[2] In early 2005, she was appointed as a liaison officer of the Alliance of Coaches and Athletes of the Philippines with the Philippine Sports Commission.[6]

In December 2005, De Vega went to Singapore after receiving three job offers from Singaporean private schools to handle athletics.[7] She is now coaching young athletes in Singapore. Her most recent public appearance was as one of the flag bearers at the opening ceremony of the 2019 Southeast Asian Games in the Philippines.

Personal life

De Vega is married to Paul Mercado, a former engineer at Meralco and an entrepreneur engaged in fish pond business,[7] to whom she had three children including Stephanie who is a former collegiate volleyball player of the DLSU Lady Spikers.[8] In February 2001, her son John Michael who was four years old, died in a car accident.[9]

References

  1. "Biography: Lydia DE VEGA-MERCADO ()". International Association of Athletics Federations. Retrieved 2007-07-31.
  2. "Loyzaga, Mumar, Sulaiman, De Vega to be feted by PSA (psa)". Manila Bulletin. January 3, 2005. Archived from the original on October 22, 2007. Retrieved 2007-07-31.
  3. "She's still their Lydia". New Straits Times. 19 November 1991. Retrieved 25 February 2016.
  4. "Lydia De Vega Asia's Sprint Queen". Pinoyathletics. 7 April 2020.
  5. Cardona, Aldrin (22 October 1994). "Lydia closes out great career victoriously". Manila Standard. Retrieved 25 February 2016.
  6. Reyes, Marc Anthony (27 January 2005). "Acap hails appointment of De Vega". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved 25 February 2016.
  7. Eroa, Dennis (28 May 2006). "Lydia runs to Singapore". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved 25 February 2016.
  8. Escarlote, Mark (May 10, 2015). "Mother's Day shout-out from volleyball players". ABS-CBN Sports. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
  9. "Lydia's Long Road". Philippine Daily Inquirer. 14 December 2003. Retrieved 25 February 2016.
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