Filipino-American cyclist Coryn Rivera will dedicate her stint in the Tokyo Olympic Games to her late father Wally, a Filipino health care worker, who died in California from COVID-19 last March.
Rivera, who is from Tustin, California, said she will always have memories of her dad in her heart when she finally gets to ride in the Tokyo Games.
Family members in Tondo and Tagaytay City have kept in touch with the Rivera family, mourning Coryn’s loss.
The 28-year-old Rivera received condolences from the family of Integrated Cycling Federation of the Philippines (PhilCycling) secretary general Billy Sumagui, who is a cousin of Coryn’s mom, Lina, a Tagaytay native.
“It’s been a dream of mine (to make it to the Olympics) since I was a kid. My dad was my first coach. We go back a long way,” said Rivera in a television interview posted on her Facebook page.
Last week, Rivera made the final cut to the United States women’s road cycling team for the quadrennial meet.
Rivera is in the women’s team with Chloé Dygert, Amber Neben, Ruth Winder and Leah Thomas.
Rivera, who won 72 national titles in the US, visited the Philippines back in 2018.
She is set to get ready for her stint in Tokyo when she joins the USA Cycling Professional Road Championships, which return to Knoxville, Tennessee on June 27, after it was cancelled due to COVID-19 coronavirus.
There will a total of 490 riders this year in the event, the largest since the races have been held in Knoxville. Peter Atencio