Perez grabs third diving gold
By Josef Ramos

LOS BAÑOS – Shiela Mae Perez scooped her third gold medal in the 1-meter springboard of diving Wednesday making her the most bemedalled Filipino athlete so far in the 23rd Southeast Asian Games.

After a so-so performance on her previous attempts, Perez registered 59.28 in her final attempt to edge out Malaysian rival Leong Mun Yee who could only tally 56.94.

With her impressive 1 ½ summersault in the final round, the 19-year-old Filipina diver dramatically amassed 267.66 total points, surpassing Yee’s 266.34 which was only good for the silver medal.
“I thought my second gold was enough. But when I heard the cheers of the hundred spectator, I sensed something more important that I must accomplish,” said the teary Perez who was swarmed by autograph-seekers after the event.

Emerging as Southeast Asia’s most promising woman diver, Perez earlier captured the 3-meter synchronized springboard along with Ceseil Domenios and the women’s 3-meter springboard event.

“I didn’t lose hope despite the doubts,” she added. “And I thank God for having a beautiful finale in the fourth round.”

Her mother, Virginia, witnessed the impressive showing of Perez, who arrived straight from Davao. “I’m very excited and happy to see my daughter in that position,” said Virginia, who emotionally hugged Perez after the triumph.

Meanwhile, Perez denied a recent newspaper report that she is a former coin diver in Davao.
“It hurts when my teammate Ryan Fabriga told me earlier that there’s a newspaper report that I was a former coin diver. That’s not true,” Perez noted.

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