Filipina gymnast Haylee Garcia turns her “word of the day” into a silver medal-winning performance at SEA Games 2025.
Truer words were never spoken for Haylee Garcia.
Long before she stepped onto the uneven bars medal rounds at the SEA Games 2025, the 17-year-old gymnast already chosen her guide for the day—a ritual she follows from training to competition.
She opens her notebook, writes down a “word of the day,” and carries it with her until the final salute.
For that day, her word was relentless.
Garcia lived up to it, delivering a steady routine on her way to copping silver with a score of 12.100 on Thursday, December 11.
She finished behind Malaysia’s Rachel Yeoh, who won gold with 13.650, while Thailand’s Thantida Ruecker secured the bronze with 11.750.
“I did a lot of visualization before I did that routine. I probably replayed it 20 times in my head in the back room. I also have a ‘word of the day’ that I make every day for practice and for the competition… and write it all down in my notebook,” Garcia told Cignal’s Belle Gregorio.
“My word for today is relentless,” she added.
Her performance mirrored not only her own drive but also the momentum of her teammates, as Olympian Aleah Finnegan captured gold in the women’s vault and Justine Ace De Leon secured two bronzes in the floor exercise and rings.
One proud mother
Watching from the stands at Thammasat University Rangsit Campus was Haylee’s mother, Wilma, who admitted that the nerves never go away while sharing her daughter's early beginnings with the sport.
“She’s always been a very active kid. That’s how we ended up in gymnastics. We tried football, ballet, everything. But when she was around 6 or 7, she didn’t want the others anymore—she only wanted gymnastics,” she bared.
Wilma also recalled how Haylee stuck with the sport through every challenge: “She never left. Even during the pandemic, she kept going."
And as Haylee persevered, she continued to reap the rewards of her hard work at a young age. If her first SEA Games performance is any indication, the future is bright—not only for her, but for Philippine gymnastics.
(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.