MANILA – Filipino surfer Roger Casugay was feted with a fair play award for his heroics in saving an opponent during the surfing competition of the just concluded 30th Southeast Asian Games.
The 24-year-old La Union native was given the citation during the closing ceremonies of the biennial sporting event on Wednesday evening at the New Clark City in Capaz, Tarlac.
Casugay gave up his lead and decided to turn around to help Indonesian surfer Arip Nurhidayat, whose board was thrown up in the air from the force of the wave.
The rematch between Casugay and Nurhidyat was repeated, with the Filipino emerging as the winner and earned him a slot in the finals, where he defeated fellow Filipino surfer Jay-R Esquivel.
Casugay’s heroics earned praise not only from Filipinos fans both present at the surfing competition venue, online and all around the world, but also from no less than Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo.
“My appreciation to Roger Casugay, a Filipino surfer who gave up his chance to win the gold medal in a bid to help an Indonesian athlete who fell [into the sea] during the competition,” Widodo said. “Winning a competition and upholding sportsmanship is important, but still, humanity is above all.”
Aside from Casugay, also feted during the closing ceremony were swimmers Zheng Wen of Singapore and Thi Ann Vien Nguyen of Vietnam, who both have eight medals hauled./PN
