17-Year Old Kaitlin de Guzman Wins Gold in Gymnastics at SEA Games Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Rising star 17-year old Kaitlin de Guzman delivered the Philippines’ second gymnastic gold at the 2017 Southeast Asian Games with her victory in the uneven bars category on Tuesday.

De Guzman feat ended the country’s 20-year old gold-medal drought in women’s artistic gymnastics. She scored 12.875 points to rule the said event, followed by Tracie Ang of Malaysia who settled for the silver medal with 12.550 points, and Rifda Irfanaluthfi of Indonesia who took the bronze with 12.075 points. Earlier,Filipino artistic gymnast Reyland Capellan topped the men’s floor exercise event.

Her mother, Cintamoni Dela Cruz, ruled the same event in the 1995 SEA Games in Chiang Mai, Thailand and was part of the squad that emerged with a gold medal in team events in the Jakarta SEA Games in 1997. Naturally, Dela Cruz is one proud mother. “Really proud. Really amazing. Tuwang tuwa kami,” said 41-year-old Dela Cruz, now De Guzman.