By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Michael Keon, executive director of the Project Gintong Alay in the 1980s, stressed the importance of talent identification and grassroots development program to produce world-class talents such as the late trackster Lydia de Vega-Mercado.
Paying tribute to de Vega-Mercado’s legacy in Philippine sports at the annual San Miguel Corporation-Philippine Sportswriters Association Awards Night Monday, March 6, Keon recalled how they discovered the then 16-year-old aspirant during one of their races in the 1980s.
“The first competition that Gintong Alay had was the UAAP vs Gintong Alay which was in May 1980. Lydia de Vega ran the 400 meters, not the 100, not the 200. She broke the Asian Games record, the SEA Games record and the Philippine record of 54.6 seconds at the age of 16,” recalled the Laoag City Mayor in the grand affair presented by the Philippine Sports Commission and Cignal TV, and backed by the POC, Tagaytay City Mayor Bambol Tolentino, MILO, Smart, MVP Sports Foundation, Rain or Shine, 1Pacman Rep. Mikee Romero, Philippine Basketball Association, OKBet, ICTSI, and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation.
“Now you all know that physical athletes mature at 22 to 26, now if Lydia (fondly called Diay)had continued to train in the 400 meters, she would have easily clocked 50 seconds for the 400 and which would put her in an Olympic final… she would have been in my eyes an Olympic champion,” Keon stressed.
But he pointed out that “this does not detract from her being the Asian Games gold medalist twice it does not detract from that,” referring to the comely sprinter’s back-to-back gold medals in the century dash in the 1982 New Delhi and 1986 Seoul Asian Games.
“Having said that, she (De Vega) is still the pinaka-best athlete that this country ever had and I was fortunate enough to be a part in training here. I am happy with her legacy and she really deserves this award,” Keon said.
The annual awards night for Filipino athletes honored de Vega-Mercado with a Hall of Fame award for her valuable contribution to Philippine sports.
Keon said de Vega-Mercado was one example of the vast talents the country has.
“There is so much talent in Philippine sports that I made a suggestion to (Philippine Sports Commission chairman Richard Bachmann) that the PSC should concentrate on talent scouting,” said Keon, whose Project Gintong Alay was aimed at producing gold medalists in the international sports scene.
Steph Mercado de Koenigswarter, daughter of the eternal track queen, thanked the PSA, saying: “Thank you uli sa recognition na binigay nio sa Mom ko, Am sure she is smiling at everyone from above.”
Also part of the Project Gintong Alay was Elma Muros-Posadas, who was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award.
