Filipina gymnast Tchelzy Maayo. Photo from Maayo/Facebook
MANILA – Young Filipina gymnast Tchelzy Maayo is in high spirits after finishing fourth in the vault final of the 19th Junior Artistic Gymnastics Asian Championships in Zunyi, China.
Maayo scored 12.683 points after two successful attempts on vault, falling short of a podium finish in her debut in the competition.
"The experience for me, it was really fun, really exciting and also a little bit of nervousness of course because it's my first Asian Champs, but I'm really proud that I did my best and I performed my best and I just put myself out there in this first major competition of mine," she told ABS-CBN News in an exclusive interview at the GAP Gym in Intramuros, Manila on Friday.
"I'm very honored to represent the Philippines. And I also thank God for giving me this opportunity to compete in this such big event. And I'm really proud for me and my team. And I'm really proud that I can represent my country and give it all for my country," the 14-year-old shared.
Maayo ranked seventh in the vault qualifications, marking a huge jump as she finished fourth in the final.
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Despite missing out on the podium, Maayo is glad she was able to show she can compete alongside Asia's top junior gymnasts.
"I'm really proud of myself because from China, Japan, China, and then Philippines, it makes me really proud that I did my best and I also represented my country really well. So that was also a huge blessing from the Lord and I'm really grateful for the experience," she said.
The competition marked the 14-year-old gymnast's first competition as part of the Philippine Junior Gymnastics Team.
Maayo admitted she felt the nerves, given the weight of the tournament compared to those she competed in the past.
"They're a little bit more stricter for the judging part, of course, because it's a major competition and that there was a lot of Asia's best gymnasts on certain events. So it was a little bit exciting and it was so fun to meet all the different girls and also very nervous because we were against each other. But that's really it for the most part. It was just the nervousness and a little bit of the stricter judging that was a bit different for me," she shared.
Aside from finishing fourth in the vault final, Maayo ranked ninth overall among 40 gymnasts in the competition.
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"For me, that was a pretty good achievement. I'm really happy that I got ninth. And it's also pretty good because it's my first time competing as a junior in this big of a competition. And I'm really proud of myself for competing my best and doing the best that I can," she said.
"I'm really happy that I represented the country. And then I'm almost there at the top eight. So I'm really happy about that. [I was] so close to the podium," Maayo shared.
For the 14-year-old, her biggest takeaway from the Junior Asian Championships is how to calm her nerves and stay positive to perform her best.
"I learned that if I feel nervous or if anyone feels nervous, you have to separate yourself. And if you really want to do and perform your best, you always have to keep a smile on your face. Because usually, if you're really serious, you can't really perform your best," Maayo said.
"Whenever I don't act happy or if I'm really nervous, if they can see that you're nervous, they can tell already before you even start your routine that your routine might not be the best that you might perform. So you always have to stay confident, keep your head up, and you always have to smile," she shared.
Gymnastics Association of the Philippines President Cyntha Carrion-Norton lauded Maayo for her performance, expressing hope she will leap to greater heights.
"I'm so proud of her. Because Tchelzy, I know, will be my next champion. I know because she has the, you have to have that passion. And I can see it in her eyes, like I saw it in Carlos," she said.
"I can see it in the kids. Right now, I have several that I know, the ones that really want it. Then we have to give them all the motivation, all the help, because they want it. Because when you want it, you will get it, and you believe in yourself," Carrion added.
Maayo is set to return to Japan, where she is based for training, before she competes for her club in August.