Filipina Anna Lourdes Rigos Cruz, 25, won three of the Philippines’ four gold medals on her debut at the 2018 Southeast Asian Short Track Trophy at The Rink at JCube in Singapore from March 31 to April 1.
During the two-day event, Cruz stunned the crowd by winning three races – the women’s 500 meters, 1,500 meters and the 1,000 meters – The Straits Times reported.
Cruz, who comes from Makati, Manila, fell in love with speed skating while watching the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics on television. In 2016, she tried the sport for the first time when she was on an exchange program in Daejeong, South Korea.
“Wearing this skin suit was already an achievement for me. Our motivation for this race was just getting experience and finishing the race, so the medals are a bonus,” said Cruz.
She also said she hoped to compete at the Beijing Winter Olympics in 2022 and wanted to teach children in the Philippines with special needs how to speed skate.