Marcos mourns passing of Lydia de Vega

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. on Thursday expressed his deepest sympathies on the demise of Filipino sports legend Lydia de Vega.

"I join the entire nation in mourning the untimely demise of former Asian sprint queen Lydia de Vega, after a four-year battle with breast cancer. My sincerest condolences to her family and loved ones," Marcos said in a statement.

"Lydia de Vega has run her last race. She has finished her contest. She has fought a good fight. Let us pray for her peace," he added.

Marcos hailed de Vega as "the fastest woman in Asia and she placed the Philippines in the map of international athletics."

"She won the 100-meter gold medal in the 1982 and 1986 Asian Games. She ruled the sprint double in the Asian Athletics Championship in 1983 and 1987. She is also a nine-time Southeast Asian Games gold medalist. All in her favorite event, the 100-meter dash," Marcos said.

"Lydia was also a two-time Olympian, having represented the Philippines in the 1984 Los Angeles and 1988 Seoul Olympics," she added.

De Vega, 57, died after her battle with breast cancer on Wednesday night. She was diagnosed with the illness in 2018.

Lawmakers also expressed their condolences over the Filipino athlete's demise. — RSJ, GMA News