Woman champ, 67 can’t stop competing
>> Saturday, June 15, 2019
By Pigeon M.
Lobien
BAGUIO CITY — Erlinda Lavandia, former Gintong Alay
stalwart and Southeast Asian Games (SEAG) javelin queen, remains eager to
continue competing even at the age of 67.
"Gusto kong lumaban
habang kaya pa. Pero gusto kong umabot sa 80 o’ mahigit pa na sasali sa mga
kumpetisyong pampalakasan, (I want to compete while I can. But my dream is to
compete in any sports competition until I reach 80 or even more than that),”
said Lavandia, a retired cop.
Lavandia grabbed
headlines anew after scooping four gold medals in the Singapore Masters
Athletics’ 40th Anniversary Track and Field tourney at Bokit Gombak Stadium on
May 2-4.
Lavandia competed in the
women’s 65-above category where she ruled her pet javelin throw event with
25.65 meters distance right on her first attempt to handily beat Indonesian
Julia Jacob (14.15m), and Sri Lankan pair J.A. Jasmin (12.66m) and E.N.L.
Jayanthi (10.45m).
Lavandia also came out
with golden performance in the discus, shot put and hammer competitions, feats
that cemented her status as the queen of throwing events.
She submitted an 18.99-m
in discuss throw to beat Sri Lankan Jasmin (15.38m) and Indonesia Jacob
(12.70m), then completed her romp with a 7.25m heave in shot put at the expense
of Jacob (5.35m) and finally, the hammer with 20.81m toss.
“I would like to emulate
an 80 something pole vaulter and a 70+ runner competing in hurdles,” said
Lavandia, who claimed the P120,000 incentives given to her by Baguio City.
“If they can do it, why
can’t I,” added the first of the Gintong Alay athletes who moved to Baguio in
1979 to train under the sports program of former President Ferdinand Marcos.
Lavandia was referring
to 84-year old pole vaulter Flo Meiler, who travels around the world just to
compete in Masters where she won and even broke world records.
“Kaya ensayo lang, at
lalo na sa mga Masters events (I just have to practice particularly in
Masters events),” said Lavandia, who won gold in javelin in the 1977, 1979,
1981 and 1985 SEAG. She took the silver in 1983 edition.
Lavandia was already
with the defunct Philippine Constabulary-Integrated National Police in 1977
when she was reassigned in Baguio for further training.
“I loved it here and I
never left even after the Gintong Alay program was scrapped (in 1986),” she
said.
With every medal she won
in the SEAG, the corporal first class was promoted a rank higher until her
retirement in 2008 when she achieved the rank of Police Chief Inspector, now a
police major.
“I also had successes as
a cop, not just in sport and trained also in traffic management,” added
Lavandia.
She looks forward to
meeting again her fellow sports legends like Lydia de Vega, Guido del Prado,
Elma Muros, Eric Buhain, and Hector Begeo in a reunion of Gintong Alay athletes
set to be held in November this year.
Lavandia is expected to
compete again, this time at the (javelin) world masters athletics in Canada
this year.
“I played in all the
throwing events only in the Southeast Asia region, but not in the Asian or
World competitions,” she added. -- PNA
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