SAN JUAN, La Union— Filipino surfer Roger Casugay has set aside his chance for a gold medal when he rescued his Indonesian rival, whose leash was detached from the surfboard during the South East Asian (SEA) Games open surfing competition here.
In an interview with Bombo Radyo La Union Friday, Casugay said although it was not his obligation to save his co-athlete since they are in the middle of a competition, he nonetheless, chose to help.
In a Facebook post by 2019 SEA Games account on Friday, Indonesian surfer Arip Nurhidayat was seen struggling with gigantic waves after his leash broke during the surfing competition.
“Wala na akong obligasyon kasi kompetisyon. Kung ganoon may maputulan ng leash at nasa line up ako, advantage ko na yon. Ang nangyari pinapabalik na kami sa shore kaya tinulungan ko na siya (I have no obligation because it is a competition. If somebody broke his leash and I was in the line up, it would have been my advantage. What happened is that they asked us to go back to the shore, so I helped him),” Casugay said.
The organizers put on hold the competition after Nurhidayat broke his leash.
Casugay, then, rescued the Indonesian surfer and they were seen riding on his board, both overcame the high waves.
The surfer earned praises from netizens who called him a real hero and pride of the Philippines. (PNA)
