Once on the verge of quitting gymnastics, Justine Ace de Leon now stands tall at his fourth SEA Games in Thailand, beaming with pride after claiming two bronze medals.
Justine Ace de Leon was not supposed to win medals at the 33rd Southeast Asian Games in Thailand — in fact, he did not even intend to compete.
But the Filipino gymnast refused to quit — and his perseverance paid off big-time.
[RELATED STORY: SCHEDULE | Team Philippines competes at SEA Games 2025 Thailand]
After four attempts in the biennial meet, De Leon finally earned two bronze medals in men’s artistic gymnastics, taking a podium finish in the floor exercise and rings apparatus at the Thammasat University Rangsit Campus Thursday, Dec. 12.
He secured his first bronze with a score of 12.500 in the floor exercise, followed by a 12.700 that was enough for a third-place finish in the rings.
Yet, these achievements almost never happened.
De Leon revealed that he came close to giving up after a disappointing performance in the 2023 SEA Games in Cambodia.
“Last SEA Games, umiyak ako sa backstage kasi wala akong nakuha. Na-iinggit ako sa mga kasama ko kasi gusto ko ring manalo. Umiyak ako and gusto ko nang mag-stop sa gymnastics. Sinabi ko ‘yun sa coach ko," De Leon said in an interview with Cignal.
"Lumapit sila sa'kin and sinabi ko sa kanilang hindi ko na kaya and pagod na ako,” he shared.
[ALSO READ: Olympian Aleah Finnegan overcomes grief en route to SEA Games 2025 gold]
But with the help of his coaches, family, and teammates, De Leon soldiered on and kept improving his craft.
“Ako kasi, madamdamin ako. Talagang overthinker and mahina ‘yong puso ko. Pero nakatutulong sa'kin ‘yong mga kasama ko and mga coach ko," he said.
“Gusto ko nang sumuko pero tinulungan nila ako. Tuluy-tuloy lang ‘yong training and ngayon, panalo ng bronze. Hindi lang isa, kung hindi dalawa.”
[ALSO READ: Kayla Sanchez nabs two silvers in SEAG swimming: 'I'm excited to keep going']
Ace-ing his own "golden" moment
While it was not the gold medal everyone hoped for, for De Leon, it was.
“Hindi ako makapaniwala. This is not bronze for me; this is gold for me,” he said while being emotional.
“Ilang beses akong nag-try. This is my fourth try [in the SEA Games]. This is also my first time going to the [men’s apparatus] finals. My first try, I fell on all apparatus, and [during] my second and third time, I did not qualify in the finals. But now, nothing is impossible,” De Leon added.
[ALSO READ: Susan Ramadan on bronze finish in SEAG women's 1500m: ‘Parang nananaginip ako’]
The 24-year-old also opened up about the physical challenges he faced and how his coach helped him fine-tune his routines, especially on his favorite apparatus: the rings.
"Unang-una, 'yong mga injuries sa katawan. Pero ngayon, talagang nagpursigi ako. My coach helped me kung paano pagandahin ‘yong routine ko nang maayos lalo na sa rings since ‘yon ang favorite kong apparatus,” De Leon bared.
It seems like the fourth time is the charm for De Leon. For refusing to give up, he was richly rewarded.
(With reports from Belle Gregorio/Cignal)
—
Pao Ambat earned his journalism degree from Cavite State University in 2022.
Passionate about sports from a young age, he primarily covers the NBA for One Sports, while also assisting in reporting on the PVL, PBA, UAAP, and other leagues.