A Filipino surfer sacrificed his chance to win a gold medal in the 30th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games after he chose to save his Indonesian opponent who lost his surfboard due to big waves.
On December 6, the story of Rogelio Casugay became a viral topic on social media.
It gained praise even outside the country because of his selfless act saving Indonesian Arip Nurhidayat from possible drowning.
According to the reports, Nurhidayat’s rope was cut which resulted in the loss of his surfboard, his opponent Casogay rushed to his Indonesian opponent to save him.
Photos showed that Casugay and Nurhidayat are riding in one surfboard on their way back to the shore.
They both stood up displaying their skills while riding the same wave in one long surfboard, losing the chance of Casugay to win.
Despite not winning the gold medal, Casugay won the hearts of the spectators who cheered at the hero surfer.
Nurhidayat even raised the hands of Casugay to show his respect to the Filipino surfer.
In an interview with CNN Philippines’ Rex Remitio, Casugay explained why he decided to sacrifice his gold medal to save his Indonesian opponent.
“As a surfer, mayroon kaming brotherhood, parang no matter what happen, kung ‘yung isa nangangailangan ng tulong, puntahan mo. Kung ano ‘yung mayroon ka, ibigay mo kung kaya mong ibigay,” the hero surfer said.
“Wala na sa isip ko na manalo pa kasi safe na kaming dalawa sa nangyaring ‘yun. Masayang masaya kaming dalawa noong nakarating kami sa shore at saka nagtatawanan na lang kami, nagyakapan kami,” he added.
This is not the first time Casugay was discussed by people on social media.
In October 2017, Casugay was featured in the television show Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho after he captured the heart of a Dutch national.