Lydia de Vega Obituary

Lydia de Vega passed away on August 10, 2022, in Makati, Bulacan, Philippines. Lydia de Vega was a renowned Philippine athlete and coach regarded as Asia’s fastest woman in the 1980s.

Lydia de Vega-Mercado was born on December 26, 1964, in Meycauayan, Philippines. Her father Francisco Tatang De Vega was her first coach. Lydia placed second in the 400-meter run and bagged the bronze medal in the 200 meters in the 1981 edition when she was 16 years old.

Lydia 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 represented the Philippines at the 1984 and 1988 Summer Olympics and was a two-time Olympian. She won a silver medal in the 200-meter race at the 1986 Seoul Asiad.

Lydia de Vega has served as a councillor of her native Meycauayan town in Bulacan province. She is the mother of three children including Stephanie (Paneng), a former collegiate volleyball player of the DLSU Lady Spikers.