Gymnast bags gold, repeats mom’s feat

MANILA, Philippines - It’s virtually liquid gold that runs through the veins of young gymnastics sensation Kaitlin de Guzman.

Gifted with the genes of a former Southeast Asian Games champion and a firm resolve to excel in the same battlefront, 17-year-old De Guzman carved her name in the company of greats by winning the Malaysia SEAG’s uneven bars event.

This she achieved 22 years after her mother, Cintamoni “Tammy” de la Cruz, crowned herself the golden girl of the exact event when the biennial SEA Games was held in the hilly Thai city of Chiang Mai.

Tammy excitedly watched from the sidelines and recorded a video of Kaitlin’s moves and couldn’t be prouder to see her bask in glory and enjoy the very experience she had way back in 1995.

“Super proud! So excited!!!! Dream come true,” an ecstatic Tammy, who also owns a bronze in the uneven bars from the 1997 SEAG, told The STAR.

From club competitions in the US, Kaitlin shifted to international play and stuck gold on her SEA Games debut.

“I’m so very happy with my very first gold medal representing the Philippines,” Kaitlin said.

Proud mom said Kaitlin’s triumph was actually a pleasant surprise.

“We were not expecting her to win since this is just her first SEA Games,” said Tammy, who posted a winning 9.10 when she achieved her feat in 1995.

“All we were hoping for her is to qualify for the finals. This victory is a major surprise; that’s why we’re so happy with this achievement.”