‘Hindi porke’t bakla, hindi mo kayang buhatin:’ 13-year-old weightlifter hopes viral clip shows sports is for all

MANILA – Thirteen-year-old weightlifter Prince Jhay Cuyson aims to lift others up by proving that sports is for everyone and strength knows no gender nor sexuality.

A video of Cuyson, posted by coach Kim Santos, competing in the youth men’s 55kg division at the HD LiftOff event last August made the rounds on social media.  

In the clip, the 13-year-old did a hair filp and blew a kiss to the audience after successfully lifting 51kg in the third and final attempt in clean and jerk.

Cuyson finished fifth with a total of 86kg (35kg snatch and 51kg clean and jerk), a welcome start for the weightlifter who has only been in the sport for eight months.

“Nabigla na rin po kasi minsan lang po mag-viral ng ganyan. Naganda na rin po sa sarili ko. Sabi po nila na mag-rampa-rampa daw po ako. Then, ayon po, ginawa ko lamang po. Then, success naman po,” the 13-year-old told ABS-CBN News in an interview on Thursday in Tondo, Manila.

“Isa ‘yun po kasi gusto ko rin pong magpasaya ng maraming tao. Then, gusto ko pong tanggalin ‘yung kaba sa heart ko siyempre. Para po mas confident din po akong gawin ‘yung bawat buhat na bubuhatin ko po,” the weightlifter said.

While grateful for the support and attention, Cuyson hopes the viral video challenges stereotypes often associated with men and women in sports, especially weightlifting.

“Ang saya ko po kasi po ‘yung mga sa tingin ko po, ‘yung mga tao po ngayon parang bihira lang po sila sumuporta sa katulad kong gay kasi marami pong mga taong homophobic na hindi po ako tanggap,” Cuyson said.

“Di ko na lang po sila pinapansin kasi po kung papansinin ko rin po sila, mas lalo lang po akong ‘yung kaba ko po, then ‘yung feelings ko po is maaano lang din po,” the 13-year-old shared.

For Cuyson, being a member of the LGBTQIA+ community should never be seen as a limitation or a reason to doubt one’s capabilities.

“Hindi porke’t po bakla, kaya hindi mo po kayang buhatin ‘yung bawat plates na at ‘yung bar na binubuhat. Kasi sabi po sa kantang ‘Sirena,’ mas lalaki pa po sa lalaki ang bakla,” he said.  

Beyond the attention brought by the viral video, Cuyson seeks to encourage more young people to pursue their passion for sports without worrying about societal norms and expectations.

“Ang message ko lang po, para sa mga kabataan po, hindi po wala po sa gender o sa kasarian ‘yung pagti-training ng kung ano. Dahil ang sports po, para po sa lahat din,” Cuyson said.

The 13-year-old started weightlifting last March, when friends invited him to join the Tondo Weightlifting Club under Santos.

“Meron pong isang nagsabi na kung gusto mong sumali, pumunta ka dito. Si ate Cecile po ‘yun. In-approach siya po ako na sumali po dito sa weightlifting. Then, nagustuhan ko rin naman po,” Cuyson shared.

“Yung coach ko po kasi, pinupursige niya po kami mapag-training kahit ganito lang po ‘yung place namin po. Then, binibigay niya naman po lahat ng kailangan din,” he added.

The weightlifter’s coach was likewise shocked the video went viral, three months after the HD LiftOff competition.

“Hindi ko naman inaasahan na mag-viral siya pero natutuwa ako sa mga ginawa niyang ano, parang slay move ba ‘yun,” Santos said.

“Ang daming nag-comment ng mga national coach or saka mga ano [athlete] na maganda daw ang jerk. Kahit sinong coach, makikita nga. Eh, nag-twerk pa,” he added.

Santos is optimistic Cuyson’s viral video will help break the norms set by society and encourage more young people to get into weightlifting.

“Wala sa gender po ‘yan. Lahat ng pwede mag-weightlifting. At maganda rin ‘yung viral niya para mas spread talaga ‘yung weightlifting sa Pilipinas,” Santos said.

“Para naman baka makaipon tayo ng potential at mag-national team at makaka-present sa international. Hopefully na magkaka-Olympic medalist ulit tayo,” he shared.

Cuyson is grateful for his parents’ support both in life and weightlifting, which comes with the promise of studying hard.  

While he’s only getting started, Cuyson hopes to become a national athlete someday by showing up and defying stereotypes by lifting heavy while continuing to slay.

“Pangarap ko pong makapunta ng ibang bansa upang i-compete y’ung Pilipinas. Then ipagmalaki na rin po ‘yung si coach, then ‘yung mga parents ko. Tapos ‘yung mga nagsusuporta na rin po sa akin. Gusto ko pong may maipagmalaki po ako sa kanila,” he said.

After making his mark at HD LiftOff, Cuyson continues to train harder and improve his technique so he can compete on bigger stages and inspire others to find their place in sports.