Behind every successful athlete, a loving mother

Winning moment for Jylyn Nicanor of Philippines against Permatasari Diah of Indonesia during the fencing competition of the Southeast Asian Games at World Trade Center. INQUIRER PHOTO/JOAN S BONDOC

The moment Jylyn Nicanor came down from the podium after the awarding ceremony, mother Emerita immediately rushed in for a selfie with her daughter with a gold medal.

But Jylyn did one better.

The individual women’s saber champion in the 30th Southeast Asian Games wrapped the gold medal around Emerita’s neck as reporters and photographers captured the poignant moment only made possible because Jylyn played in front of the family for the first time.

“I’m just so thankful to her because she has always supported me right from the start, “ the 27-year-old Jylyn said in Filipino after her dramatic victory that delivered the Philippines’ first fencing gold Thursday.

The 59-year-old Emerita, whose two other children are also fencers, has always been at Jylyn’s side in competitions, but never in a SEA Games setting.

This was her first time to see her daughter in Games action live, with Jylyn’s first three stints in the regional meet held overseas.

“This is my first time to watch her compete in the SEA Games, and I’m just so proud of her,” Emerita, daughter of Olympian boxer and 1954 Asian Games gold medalist Ernesto Porto, said.

Jylyn, second youngest of seven siblings, made sure to deliver a performance to remember, as the ending couldn’t have been more dramatic.

Jylyn trailed practically the entire match against Indonesian ace Diah Permatasari before carving out a 15-14 win where she won the last two points before a boisterous gallery at World Trade Center Thursday night.

She did what two other Filipino fencers failed to do, accomplishing the feat by overcoming tremendous pressure.

“I really felt the pressure. I was so nervous especially when I saw that my teammates were carrying a big Philippine flag, but I just stayed focused,” Jylyn, who started fencing when she was 14, said.

Those same teammates carried a triumphant Jylyn and threw her in the air in celebration.

“I’m just overwhelmed and happy because all the tears shed during training were all worth it,” said Jylyn.