HANOI — The Philippines won its first gold medal of the 31st Southeast Asian Games here on Wednesday courtesy of Francine Padios, who ruled the pencak silat women's seni tunggal single at the Bac Tu Lien Gymnasium.
But more than the country's glory and her own athletic achievement, Padios was fighting for family — as she drew motivation from her father who is currently in a coma.
A native of Kalibo, Aklan, Padios said that her gold — an improvement from her silver medal finish in Manila back in 2019 — was a product of the inspiration she got from her dad.
"My dad has become my inspiration after he figured in a terrible car accident on his way home in Aklan just before Christmas," said the 18-year-old Padio.
"He was so exhausted and drowsy from work he slept before the wheel and met the accident. He's been motivating me ever since," she added.
As of writing, Padios remains the only Filipino athlete with a gold as other podium finishers have been winning silvers and bronzes.
In the official medal tally on the SEA Games website, the Philippines currently has seven medals — one gold, two silvers and four bronzes.
Vietnam and Malaysia both have six gold medals to to claim the first and second spot in the standings.
The Philippines is currently fifth in the 11-nations field.