67-year-old Baguio former cop snatches 4 golds in SEA Athletic Championship

Photo Courtesy || Erlinda Lavandia FB Page

Baguio City - A retired police officer and the queen of Philippine javelin proves that age is just a number after bringing home 4 gold medals from the recently concluded South East Asia Athletic Championship held in Singapore from May 4 to May 5, 2019. 

67-year-old Erlinda Lavandia, one of the greatest javelin throwers in the history of Southeast Asian games won four golds in different throwing events namely javelin throw, discus throw, shotput and hammer throw. 

In the javelin event, Lavandia recorded a distance of 25.6 meters; discus throw with a distance of 18.99 meters; shotput with record distance of 7.25 meters and hammer throw with a record of 20.8 meters. She bested athletes from several countries such as India, Malaysia, and Singapore. 

On Monday, the city government of Baguio honored Lavandia during the flag-raising ceremony for bringing home glory and honor to the city. 

She received cash incentives from the city government as part of the city's program of giving incentives to Baguians who bring honor to the city through sports. 

The strong 67-year-old Lavandia told in a local news interview about how she was able to pull out her energy despite her age. 

To stay fit and strong, Lavandia said that she keeps on training, eating healthy foods and sleeping on time. 

"Thorough training. Kailangan mag-training ng maigi. Dapat may dedication at determination and discipline," Lavandia said. 

"Kailangan on time ka matulog, yan ang sikreto ko doon" she added. 

Lavandia's goal is to always be a world champion and wants to compete with best athlete from the USA.

Lavandia is taking her rest these days as she prepares to represent the country in yet another competition. 

She will be flying to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to compete in the Asian Masters Athletic Championships from November 28 to December 9, 2019.

Watch her interview in ESPN5 YT channel below