Roger Casugay (born March 10, 1994), is a Filipino surfer who competed for the Philippines at the

2019 Southeast Asian Games The 2019 Southeast Asian Games, officially known as the 30th Southeast Asian Games, or the 30th SEA Games, and commonly known as Philippines 2019, were the 30th edition of the SEA Games, Southeast Asian Games, a biennial regional multi-sport ...

. He is the first Filipino to receive the Pierre de Coubertin Act of Fair Play Award of the

International Fair Play Committee The International Fair Play Committee (), abbreviated as the CIFP or the IFPC, is a not for profit international non-governmental organisation which serves to foster sportsmanship in international competition. It presents awards annually at the ...

in recognition of saving a competitor in longboard semifinals of the 2019 Southeast Asian Games.

Career

A native of

San Fernando, La Union San Fernando, officially the City of San Fernando (; ), is a component city and the capital of the province of La Union, Philippines. It serves as the regional and administrative center of the Ilocos Region. The city also functions as a hub ...

, Casugay represented the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

in the surfing longboard event at the

which his country hosted. Typhoon Kammuri (Tisoy) has affected the wave conditions at the surfing venue of the games. His act during the longboard semifinals on December 6, 2019, was widely acclaimed when he saved Arip Nurhidayat, an Indonesian competitor from drowning risking a chance to win the longboard gold medal. Casugay was regarded as a "hero" on social media due to his deed, eventually won a rematch against Nurhidayat and bested fellow Filipino surfer Rogelio Esquivel for the gold medal. Due to his deed, he was named as the flag bearer of the Philippine delegation at the closing ceremony and was conferred the Order of Lapu-Lapu. He was also commended by the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

through a resolution. Prior to his stint at the 2019 Southeast Asian Games, he competed at the 2018 Philippine Surfing Championship Tour where he finished 3rd. In 2020, Casugay was recognized for his act in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games by the

and was awarded the Pierre de Coubertin Act of Fair Play Award. He is the first Filipino to receive the award.

Personal life

Lisa Verweij, a Dutch, is Casugay's girlfriend. As of December 2019, they have been in a relationship for about three years.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Casugay, Roger Filipino surfers 1994 births Living people SEA Games gold medalists for the Philippines Competitors at the 2019 SEA Games Sportspeople from La Union SEA Games medalists in surfing

Career

Personal life

See also

References