PHNOM PENH, Cambodia – Ivan Cruz knows his life has changed from here on out.

Cruz broke into tears after winning the artistic gymnastics gold in men’s floor exercise in the Southeast Asian Games on Tuesday, May 9, saying he can now provide for his poverty-stricken family.

“I’m blessed because life has been really hard. I’ve gone through a lot in the Philippines. I never imagined that I would win this,” said Cruz, a second cousin of world champion gymnast Carlos Yulo.

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Yulo, the Philippines’ premier gymnast, usually represents the country in floor exercise, winning back-to-back gold medals in the apparatus in the last two editions of the regional showpiece.

But with host Cambodia limiting his haul to just two apparatus medals, the task of defending the floor exercise crown fell into the hands of Cruz.

Cruz, 21, did not disappoint and topped the finals with a score of 13.85 points, besting Thailand’s Tikumporn Surintornta (13.8) and Indonesia’s Joseph Hatoguan (13.5) in the final.

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“We have financial problems. I’m the eldest and my [six] siblings do not go to school,” said Cruz, who stopped his studies after finishing Grade 10 at the Araullo High School in Ermita, Manila.

“It feels great that now, I’ll be able to make a living for them.”

As a SEA Games gold medalist, Cruz stands to receive P300,000 under Republic Act 10699 – a windfall that could get bigger considering former President Rodrigo Duterte doubled incentives for medalists in the previous biennial meet.

He also gets a portion of the P150,000 incentive for the Philippines’ silver finish in the men’s team all-around.

The gold medal and cash prize are a culmination of the persistence of Cruz, who momentarily quit from gymnastics before deciding to come back.

“Life is hard. I experienced having nothing that is why I’m here,” said Cruz.

“I gave up. When I returned last year, God gave me opportunities. I worked hard for this.” – Rappler.com