It’s a celebration!

An 18-year-old from Kalibo, Aklan named Mary Francine Padios ruled Pencak silat at the Bac Tu Lien Gymnasium in Hanoi on Wednesday. She gained the Philippines’ first gold medal at the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games which led the whole country to a victory. 

She scored 9.960 defeating her opponent Arum Sari of Indonesia scoring 9.945 with a silver medal. 

Padios already won in the Philippines 2019 edition with a silver medal which fuels her inspiration to get to the top. Aside from that, she also got her inspiration to keep going from her ailing dad. He was involved in a car accident on her way home in Aklan just before Christmas which led him into a coma. Padios said that his dad has been motivating her ever since. 

As Kalibo, Aklan and the whole country were proud of Padios, Palace congratulated her for bringing honor to the country as she won the first gold medal for the Philippines. It was never easy for the athletes to compete in other countries but Padios’ determination rose in the Tunggal single event in Vietnam. 

The acting spokesman of the Palace also wished good luck to the other Filipino athletes and also hoped for them to bring more pride and glory to the country. “Mabuhay ang atletang Pinoy sa Hanoi”, he added. 

May Padios’ and the other Filipino athletes that fought around the world provide hope for the future and encourage ambitious Filipino athletes to keep striving for their dreams which can possibly lead to their victory and pride in the country.