Anton Ignacio, once the youngest professional jet ski racer and champion at 13, proved that if you do what you love with hard work and perseverance, anything is possible.

Anton, son of Robert and Joyce Ignacio, sailed to greater heights after outshining his foreign rivals to reign supreme in the Pro Am Roundabout 1100 Stock 2024 International Jet Sports Boating Association (IJSBA) World Finals held in Arizona, USA recently.

But his budding career wasn't always a straight line, with the 18-year-old Ignacio balancing his studies while doing his training in the physically demanding sport that is gaining popularity here in the country.

“I have to sacrifice my time with my family and friends, and also I had to miss some of my subjects,” said Ignacio in a press conference. “For me, all of this is worth it, all the hard work and sacrifices.” 

Despite the daunting tasks at hand, Ignacio shrugged off the immense pressure just to deliver a superb performance and to put the Philippines back on the international jet ski map.

“It’s a feeling that will forever stick to me, because more than the win, I feel like I made a lot of people proud back home,” he continued. “I know that I've been working hard for it, and that was a really great moment for me.”

The title made Ignacio a two-time world champion after previously ruling the novice category of the same event.

His skills and enthusiasm came from someone really dear to him, his dad Robert, who was also a national champion back in the day. Anton also got great mentors behind him, including three-time world champion Paul Del Rosario.

Robert said that his wife Joyce was too afraid to let her son try jet skiing in their beach house in Mindoro where Anton, who was very young then, tried the sport for the first time.

“And then we got a jet ski for old time's sake. So, si Anton, nag-swimming palang sya do’n. Sabi ko pa, 'Anton, you want to ride?' Umiiyak, ayaw niya dahil baka bilisan ko raw [kaya] sabi ko, hindi bagalan ko lang. So ikot kami,” Robert said.

“Pagkatapos sabi niya, kung pwede niya raw ba ma-drive. Ta’s sabi ko sige, dito ako sa likod [and] after nun, nagustuhan, then the following day, mag-isa na siyang umiikot sa harap ng bahay. After one week, nago-offshore siya sa kabilang island," he continued.

“I was hesitant for him to join. Kasi parang ‘di pa nya kaya and no’ng nanalo sya (Anton) parang lahat sila nakatingin sakin,” said her mom Joyce. “Of course I was so happy, In fact I was crying and it’s the best feeling.”

Then there goes the famous Filipino adage in ‘Kung anong puno, sya ring bunga.’

Anton will return to action in Pattaya, Thailand this December.