BIOGRAPHY: Family finally confirms Asia’s fastest woman, Lydia de Vega Mercado, is dead

Information reaching Kossyderrickent has it that Family finally confirms Asia’s fastest runner, Lydia de Vega Mercado, is dead. (Read More Here).

Ho has taken to her Twitter page to pen her tribute to Lydia de Vega. She wrote: “Sad news for PH sports 

From daughter Steph Mercado: “On behalf of our family, it is with absolute grief that I announce the death of my mother, Lydia De Vega this evening, August 10, 2022, at the Makati Medical Center. 

She fought the very good fight and is now at peace.” 

She would go on to dominate the 200m event in the 1983 and 1987 SEA Games, and then rule the 100m in the 1987, 1991 and 1993 SEA Games. (Read More Here).

Her time of 11.28 seconds in the 100m – clocked in 1987 – still stands as a SEA Games record.

CAUSE OF DEATH OF Lydia de Vega:

REST IN PEACE. Sprint queen Lydia de Vega, once regarded as Asia’s fastest woman, has passed away after her bout with breast cancer. She was 57.

BIOGRAPHY:

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

De Vega was a member of the Gintong Alay Track & Field program 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. As Asia’s sprint queen, she ran away with the gold medal in the 100-meter dash in the 1982 New Delhi Asiad and duplicated the feat in the 1986 Seoul Asiad where she clocked 11.53 seconds.

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. As a 16-year old in the 1981 edition, she placed second in the 400 meter run and also bagged the bronze medal in the 200 meters.

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.

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.