PATHUM THANI — Filipino gymnast John Ivan Cruz bagged the vault apparatus gold medal at the 33rd Southeast Asian Games men’s artistic gymnastics Friday at the Thammasat University Rangsit Campus Gymnasium 5 here.
Initially adjudged as a silver medalist, Cruz and his team made a successful protest and review, enabling him to emerge as co-champ with Malaysian Muhammad Sharul Aimy with identical average of 13.833 points.
Home bet Tikumporn Surintorta finished with 13.717 points for the bronze medal.
“Ang target ko po sana ay ma-defend ko yung floor exercise title pero ito po ‘yung binigay ni God at ‘di ko po siya sinayang, nag-focus po ako ng maayos, nag pahinga ako ng maayos para dito,” said Cruz.
The 24-year-old explained the process of review that allowed him to salvage a medal in the biennial meet after failing to defend his floor exercise title.
“Puwede po kayo mag-demand or mag-reklamo sa mga judges if parang biased po talaga (‘yung result). Puwede po kayo magreklamo and then binigay po nila, binago po nila ‘yung result,” said Cruz.
“Malalaman mo ‘yung (parang may mali) kasi mas mataas po ‘yung tinira kong skills nu’ng first vault and kaunti lang ‘yung deduction. Nasayangan din po ako kaya pina-inquire po nila ‘yun at nabago naman po.”
Cruz said failing to make the floor exercise final and defend his title motivated him to ace the vault.
“‘Yun po ‘yung nagpa boost sakin na kahit papaano hindi ako nawalan ng lalaruan, binigyan pa rin ako ng chance, so sabi ko i-sureball ko na ‘to.”
Meanwhile, Paris Olympian Aleah Finnegan raised her personal medal haul in this year’s Games to two after capturing the bronze in the balance beam with 12.467 points.
Finnegan seized the gold medal in the vault apparatus on Thursday.
Interestingly, she was also adjudged silver medalist first like Cruz and only after a plea for review did she become the gold winner.
