Trending:

Heartbreak as Lydia de Vega one of Asia’s fastest women dies aged 57

By Matthew Roscoe • Updated: 10 Aug 2022 • 18:29

Heartbreak as Lydia de Vega one of Asia's fastest women dies aged 57

Heartbreak as Lydia de Vega one of Asia's fastest women dies aged 57. Image: paneng_mercado/Instagram

Philippines athlete Lydia de Vega, who was considered Asia’s fastest woman in the 1980s, has died at the age of 57.

The heartbreaking news of Lydia de Vega’s death was confirmed on Wednesday, August 10, via her daughter Stephanie Mercado-de Koenigswarter, who said: “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 Centre.”

She added: “She fought a very good fight and is now at peace.”

De Vega was diagnosed with stage four breast cancer back in 2018. Sadly, in July 2022, Stephanie revealed that her mother had undergone brain surgery but was “in critical condition”.

De Vega was a nine-time gold medalist in the Southeast Asian Games and a two-time gold medalist in the Asian Games.

Tributes have flooded social media following the shock news.

One person wrote: “The Philippines lost a sports legend today. Rest in Power, Lydia De Vega. Asia’s fastest woman in the 80s and 90s 🙏🏻”

Another said: “May you rest in peace Sprint Queen Lydia de Vega. Condolence to Paneng Mercado and to the family 🙏🏻”

“omg rip lydia de vega:( condolences to paneng and her family:(” another person wrote.

Another noted the recent deaths of “Cherie Gil, Olivia Newton-John, and now Lydia de Vega…all because of cancer.”

https://twitter.com/yourguyrye27/status/1557398090113421312?s=21&t=0qOhD9epgyEuM0Mry1BXkw

Another said: “RIP, Lydia de Vega. You were one of the best. Asia’s fastest woman. Thank you for the honour and glory that you brought to the country.”

As noted, Cherie Gil, the veteran award-winning Filipino actress, passed away late on Friday, August 5. Her career spanned 50 years after beginning her career as a child actress at the age of 9.

Reports from the US suggest that the popular actress died of cancer of the reproductive system at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre in Manhattan, New York City at 5 am (local time) – the NYC hospital she was hospitalised last month.

Thank you for taking the time to read this article, do remember to come back and check The Euro Weekly News website for all your up-to-date local and international news stories and remember, you can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

Written by

Matthew Roscoe

Originally from the UK, Matthew is based on the Costa Blanca and is a web reporter for The Euro Weekly News covering international and Spanish national news. Got a news story you want to share? Then get in touch at editorial@euroweeklynews.com.

Comments

Continue Reading