TEN young gymnasts from the Davao GoldenTwist Gymnastics Training Center (DGTG) of Davao City brought pride to the Philippines after dominating the 2025 Shanghai Gymnastics Club Invitational held in Shanghai, China, from July 19 to 20.
The GoldenTwist girls stood out among over 400 competitors from 25 gymnastics clubs across China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippines.
The team captured two championship titles in the women’s artistic gymnastics (WAG) all-around team events. Level 3 gymnasts Shanairah Maria Isabelle B. Bantog, Zoey Jhanine S. Sangutan, and Khaylin Lois Y. Sumatra powered their team to first place.
Meanwhile, first-time competitors Yohanna Zara N. Lim, Kelsey B. Tan, and Audrey Harper Go led Davao to another first-place finish in the Pre-Level 1 division.
In the Individual All-Around, Sangutan topped the WAG Level 3 category, while teammate Bantog followed closely with a third-place finish. Candice Snow Y. Santia came in fourth in Level 1, and Go placed sixth in Pre-Level 1.
The girls didn’t stop there. They swept multiple medals in individual all-around events—floor exercise, balance beam, uneven bars, and vault.
In the individual events, Audrey Harper Go stood out with two golds in floor exercise and balance beam, a silver in uneven bars, and a bronze in vault. Yohanna Zara N. Lim also struck gold in floor and beam, adding two silvers in vault and bars. Kelsey B. Tan mirrored their performance with double golds and silvers in the same events. Nerine T. Pegarro and Candice Snow Y. Santia matched their teammates’ feat, each earning two golds and two silvers in the apparatus finals.
Savannah Marsha A. Gaurino delivered a strong finish with two golds in floor and beam, a silver on the bars, and a bronze in vault. Nyla Shereen B. Bantog also earned double golds, adding silvers in vault and uneven bars. Shanairah Maria Isabelle B. Bantog swept all four events, clinching golds in floor, beam, vault, and bars. Khaylin Lois Y. Sumatra grabbed two golds in floor and beam, a silver in vault, and a bronze in bars. Zoey Jhanine S. Sangutan also dominated with four golds across all apparatuses.
Behind the success is a routine of rigorous training and strong discipline. According to DGTG board member Lynn Mayett Ybañez Sumatra, the gymnasts—aged five to 13—train three to four times a week, often spending three hours per session. She said the team takes their training seriously, but school remains a priority.
“The timing was perfect. Since it was summer break, the girls didn’t have to worry about missing classes,” she said.
Five-year-old Yohanna Lim, one of the youngest gymnasts on the team, said she joined because she simply loves the sport. Her teammates agreed, calling gymnastics “fun and exciting” despite the hard work it demands.
DGTG president Liezl Janet Sangutan said that balancing school and training isn't easy, but the girls manage both.
“They are disciplined enough to train around three times a week and still manage to complete their homework. We want to make sure they continue to prioritize their academics,” she said during the Kapehan sa Dabaw forum at SM City Davao on Monday, August 4.
DGTG, based in Buhangin, is the first Gymnastics Association of the Philippines (GAP)-accredited center in Davao City. The 500-square-meter facility, dedicated to gymnastics training, has quickly made its mark in just three years, producing a Palarong Pambansa finalist in 2024 and national silver medalists in the Philippine National Games. RGP