In a breakthrough development, the Philippines is fielding a full team of junior athletes to an international event – the 18th Junior and 12th Senior Women’s Artistic Gymnastics Asian Championships in Jecheon, South Korea beginning on June 5.

And what makes this junior team even more remarkable is that four of the five members of the national squad selected by the Gymnastics Association of the Philippines (GAP) are entirely homegrown.

“This is a breakthrough not just for the athletes, but for every coach, club, and community that has invested in our grassroots initiatives. It’s a strong message that world-class talent can be developed right here at home,” said Sid Castro-Tayag, president of Learn and Train Sports Academy (LTSA), a local club where three of the new junior national team members belong.

They are Maxine Bondoc, 13, Sabina Tayag, 14, and Cielo Esliza, 15. The other members of the team are Elisabeth Antone and Tallulah Antonino Nadres.

This achievement underscores the growing strength of the nation’s grassroots gymnastics programs by virtue of GAP’s mandate under its president Cynthia Carrion-Norton.

The GAP, riding on the historic success of Carlos Yulo in the 2024 Paris Olympics, has also been very supportive of local clubs like LTSA, which is dedicated to developing Filipino gymnasts through structured training and participation in national and international competitions.

The composition of this junior team also signals a significant shift in the country’s approach of moving away from dependence on internationally-trained athletes and toward cultivating talent through local systems.

The hope within the gymnastics community is that the success of this junior team will encourage further investment in local development, inspire more young Filipinos to take up the sport, and accelerate the shift toward a more self-sustaining national program.