Musthofid

Musthofid
The Jakarta Post/Manila

Lydia de Vega still owns a SEA Games record, but she wishes
someone would come along and take it away from her.

On Sunday, the undisputed queen of the track in the 1980s
watched the Philippines secure a one-two finish in the women's
long jump.

Despite the success of her compatriots, she admitted she was
still longing for a successor, not only from her country but in
the region. Her 100 meter SEA Games record of 11.28 seconds, set
at the 1987 Games in Jakarta, still stands today.

"Yes, I'm happy with the Philippines' athletics perfomance,
but the only thing is that we don't have the best sprinters like
me. That is the only frustration I have because I want to see
Filipino athletes follow in my footsteps," the two-time Asian
champion told The Jakarta Post on the sidelines of the track and
field competition at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex.

De Vega, now a 40-year-old mother of two daughters, complained
about a lack of talent as well as half-hearted government support
for sports development.

"We don't have a lot of talent but the main problem is that we
lack the support of the government. We have to send athletes
abroad, bring good coaches, organize seminars on good techniques
and training method," she said.

De Vega said she still had confidence that Filipinos and the
region's athletes would be able to compete with their Asian peers
from Japan and China, which has emerged as the continent's sports
powerhouse.

"Why not? We have done it before. We probably haven't found
the right athletes for the SEA Games event. That's the problem."

She came from an athletic family, with both parents involved
in sport. "My father specialized in jump events and my mother was
a sprinter. I have the blood of athletes."

She took up running at the age of 12, with a teacher
encouraging her to pursue the sport.

Her father provided focused guidance for her in grooming her
skills, and sports administrator began to take notice of her
skills.

After winning the 200 and 400 meters at the SEA Games in
Manila in 1981, she came to international prominence at the Asian
Games a year later. In 1986, she became the first woman to win
back-to-back gold medals in the 100 meters at the Asiad.

In 1987, she reigned in the 100-meter dash in Jakarta, besting
the record of track legend PT Usha of India.

"It was tight competition against PT Usha at the time," she
remembered.

A consultant with the Philippines Sports Commission, de Vega
expressed regret that the Games have been marred by tardy
preparation.

"We're facing too many problems. But I think at the
beginning, it was the budget. We had little time to work on
everything because the budget (from the government) did not
arrive on time."

"Now the Games have already started. We are getting better
every day."