Gymnast Tchelzy Maayo ready to shine in Youth Olympics debut
MANILA – After making waves in the Junior Asian Championships last June, gymnast Tchelzy Maayo is looking forward to representing the Philippines on a bigger stage.
The 14-year-old is among the nine athletes competing for the country at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games next week.
“I was really, really shocked. I didn’t really expect it, but it was such a huge blessing from the Lord. I said, wow, I’m really going to be representing the country. And it’s also a dream of mine to be participating in the Olympics,” Maayo told ABS-CBN News on Thursday at the Gymnastics of the Association of the Philippines Gym in Intramuros.
“And now that I’m going to the Youth Olympics, I actually cried a little bit when I found out. So it was really a surprise, and I was really happy and excited about it,” she said.
Maayo will be competing alongside fellow Batang Pinoy standout Hillarion Palles III in artistic gymnastics.
“We’ve been preparing a lot, our routines, and then we’ve also been supporting each other. We’ve been cheering each other on. I’m very excited that I get the opportunity to be a part of the mixed group with him,” she said.
“I’m also very excited that this will be our first time competing in a big international stage together. So I’m really excited and I’m praying for the both of us that we can just do our best there,” Maayo added.
Last June, Maayo finished ninth overall and fourth in vault at the Junior Asian Championships, her first competition as part of the Philippine Junior Gymnastics Team.
The 14-year-old also competed in her first All-Japan junior competition last August with her gymnastics club LEGYC to help her prepare for the Youth Olympic Games.
Maayo’s coaches Miho Okazaki and Katzutaka Hakamada have been flying to Manila from Nagoya, Japan to make sure she prepares well for the major multi-sport event.
“It’s been going pretty good. I’ve been doing a lot of routines, I’ve been trying to get consistent in all of my skills, and I just want to fix my artistry, fix my skills and execution so I can do my best and also just perform out there,” she said.
“Sometimes I’m also just like thinking on my mind, I’m trying to fix my [mindset] so that I won’t get like shocked or I don’t get nervous whenever I’m on the competition floor because sometimes that’s how I usually am. So I just try and calm myself down, I usually pray,” Maayo explained.
The 14-year-old gymnast is bringing with her the added experience and confidence from the Junior Asian Championships, where she learned to enjoy herself more.
“I just want to enjoy, put myself out there, and also I want to express myself. I just don’t want to be like serious, always serious all the time. I don’t really do that. I can’t do that. I always want myself to smile because it also affects how I perform. Because if I’m happy, I usually do really good,” Maayo said.
“My goal is to at least qualify for individual all-around finals and mixed group finals since there is no individual apparatus finals. I just want my world rank to go up and I also want to perform my best so I at least make it to those two finals,” she explained.
More than being able to represent the Philippines on the Youth Olympics stage, Maayo wants to be able to showcase her skills and her artistry as a gymnast.
“I just want to express myself and to just show the world that I can do it. That I can represent the country good and then I can just be myself and just be out there and performing my best for the country and also for myself,” she shared.
“The biggest lesson that I have learned is do not worry about others, but just worry about yourself. Because the biggest part about competitions, like, you know you’re going to be against really good athletes. And usually, when you think of that, you’re gonna be like, Oh, I’m probably not gonna be good enough. But that’s not what you’re supposed to think of. You’re supposed to think about yourself,” Maayo explained.
Inspired by senior gymnasts like double Olympic gold medalist Carlos Yulo and Olympian Levi Jung Ruivivar, Maayo hopes to make her mark and the country proud as she continues in her journey.
“It’s a big inspiration for me because I know that we can do it, and then that Filipino athletes can do it. They prove such a way that we can do it. It’s my motivation now to also do good for the country and perform my best like them. I’m really proud of them, but I also want to do my best so I can perform like them,” Maayo said.
The Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games will run from October 31 to November 13 in Senegal.