With her uneven bars routine derailed early due to a scary fall, Maxine Bondoc is hopeful to get better in her next competitions following the 3rd FIG Artistic Gymnastics Junior World Championships.
Maxine Bondoc was the epitome of the Filipino spirit of “puso” after she powered through her uneven bars routine in the women’s qualification round of the 3rd FIG Artistic Gymnastics Junior World Championships at the Marriott Grand Ballroom in Newport, Pasay City on Friday.
Bondoc, the youngest among Team Philippines’ athletes at just 13-years-old, struggled in her pet event after falling awkwardly on the bar as she warmed up for Day 2 in the World Championships.
Even as she writhed in pain, Bondoc was still able to complete her routine despite falling twice.
“Honestly, it's disappointing because obviously bars is actually my favorite event so it was disappointing for me to start that way but it just pushes me to work harder,” said Bondoc.
“So when I go back in training, I'm gonna make sure that nothing like that ever happens again and so that next time you'll see a better version of me.”
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She scored a respectable 8.933 in the apparatus.
Despite finishing 96th in the event, she drew the admiration of those at the venue as she continued to push and represent the country despite the pain.
She was also supported by her teammates and coach George Kotsadinov, who gave her a pep talk right after going down with the injury.
“I think Coach George actually, thank you so much for helping me,” she said after the event.
“He just reminded me that I know how to do this routine, I've done it so many times in practice and he told me to just stay calm because no matter what happens, I've worked hard for this moment and I should just cherish it. I just lifted everything up to God,” she added.
Focusing on recovery
While many athletes may choose to focus on the setback, Bondoc showed tremendous maturity and hopes that the whole experience will be able to inspire those who also suffer similar challenges in their careers.
Even at such a young age, she hopes to make a good model for everyone else.
“Obviously this wasn't the experience on bars that I wanted but I'm still proud of what I was able to show and I hope that other young kids when they fall, they'll see that I was able to get back up and they'll be able to get back up too,” she said.
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Bondoc finished with 93rd overall in the women’s all-around. She scored 11.733 in vault, 9.700 in balance beam, and 11.333 in floor exercise.
She ended up with a score of 41.299 overall.
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Luisa Morales is a sports writer with a special interest in promoting women’s sports.
Her coverage highlights include the UAAP, PVL, Southeast Asian Games, and the FIBA World Cup. She also follows Alex Eala, the Philippine women’s national football team, and mixed martial arts.