Maria Katrina Paras

Article (news)

Filipino Para-Athletes HYROX Bangkok

<p>Rarely does anything lay bare your true character like athletics, and just this August, two <strong>Filipino para-athletes</strong> proved it in front of a record crowd. Lined up at <strong>BYD HYROX race in Bangkok</strong>, <strong>Kent Tumangan</strong> and <strong>Ameer Sanchez Ahid</strong> took on the same brutal eight-stations-eight-runs format that breaks down even the most seasoned and fittest competitors—<strong>except they were doing it with one leg each.</strong></p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib fr-rounded" style="width:700px;display:block" width="700"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1787638336275Hyrox Bangkok Kent Ameer.jpg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib fr-rounded" width="700"/><span class="fr-inner">Kent Tumangan and Ameer Sanchez Ahid | Photo via @train.tempo</span></span></span></div><p><strong> </strong>Competing as a single-leg amputee duo in the <strong>Adaptive Doubles category</strong> was a straight-up grit and personal refutation of conventional limits. Both men faced a grueling hybrid circuit, executing heavy functional station workloads like sled pushes, rowing, and wall balls, all while operating on crutches.   </p><p>Never for performative hype or headline noise, Kent and Ameer are two people fluent in an intertwined struggle. They are both osteosarcoma survivors who simply refused to let external skepticism and doubt set the ceiling for what their bodies could crush. </p><p>It’s that history that gives the Bangkok race its weight. Every station meant extra calculus neither of them had to explain to the other, making the race not just about beating the clock but crossing it together. </p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib fr-rounded" style="width:700px;display:block" width="700"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1787638427236SnapInsta.to_774595161_18467208382116746_8940975631115588650_n.jpg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib fr-rounded" width="700"/><span class="fr-inner">Photo via @arch.ahead</span></span></span></div><p>In this <strong>METRO exclusive</strong>, we caught up with <a href="https://www.instagram.com/kent.para.athlete/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Kent Tumangan</strong></a> to hear the real, unfiltered story straight from him—the accident, the amputation, the years he wasn’t sure he’d ever call himself an athlete again, and the exact moment that changed. </p><div><br/></div><div><strong>Metro.Style: Take us back to the beginning. What was your life like before becoming a para-athlete, and how did you find your way into fitness and competitive sports?</strong></div><p><strong>Kent Tumangan: </strong>Before becoming a para-athlete, I was just a young guy who loved sports, especially basketball. I was active and never imagined that one day my life would completely change. It started with an accident while playing basketball. What I initially thought was just an injury eventually became something much more serious. My condition worsened, and I was eventually diagnosed with Stage 4 bone cancer, osteosarcoma. Because the cancer had progressed, I had to undergo a hip disarticulation amputation to save my life. After losing my leg, I went through a very dark period. I struggled to accept what happened to me, and I experienced depression for several years. I felt like the life I knew was already over. But eventually, I realized that surviving cancer and losing my leg wasn’t the end of my story. It was another beginning. I slowly started moving again, exercising, and challenging myself. Fitness became part of my healing. From running and obstacle course racing to dragon boat and eventually HYROX, every competition taught me something new about myself. I didn’t become an athlete because I thought I was unstoppable. I became an athlete because I learned that even after everything I had lost, there was still so much I could become.</p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib fr-rounded" style="width:700px;display:block"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1787638692257Kent Tumangan.jpg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner">Kent, then, and Kent, now. Photos via @kent.para.athlete</span></span></span></div><div><strong>MS: What was the moment when you decided, “I want to become an athlete?”</strong></div><p><strong>KT:</strong> For me, it happened after years of struggling with depression. There was a point when I had to decide whether I would continue looking at myself as someone who had lost something or start looking at myself as someone who had survived something. I started with small goals. I wanted to become stronger, physically and mentally. Then I discovered that I could actually compete. Every time I finished a race, I gained a little more confidence. Eventually, I started competing internationally. That was when I realized, “Maybe this isn’t just something I can do. Maybe this is something I am meant to do.”</p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:700px;display:block" width="700"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1787638759898SnapInsta.to_716510681_18003290747929221_8565848133074945651_n.jpg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="700"/><span class="fr-inner">Photo via @kent.para.athlete</span></span></span></div><div><strong>MS: You both have one leg, yet you’ve chosen to compete in demanding events like HYROX. What does being an athlete mean to you?</strong></div><p><strong>KT:</strong> Being an athlete means refusing to let your circumstances decide your potential. For me, having one leg doesn’t make me less of an athlete. It simply means I have to find a different way to move, train, and compete. <strong>When people see us competing, I hope they don’t only see two amputees. I hope they see two people who refused to give up on themselves. </strong>We want people to understand that disability may change the way you do something, but it doesn’t have to stop you from doing it.</p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib fr-rounded" style="width:700px;display:block" width="700"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1787638873258Kent Tumangan and Ameer Sanchez Ahid training.jpg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib fr-rounded" width="700"/><span class="fr-inner">Photo via @kent.para.athlete</span></span></span></div><div><strong><br/></strong></div><div><strong>MS: HYROX is physically and mentally demanding. What was going through your mind when you decided to take on the Bangkok race?</strong></div><p><strong>KT: </strong>There was excitement, but honestly, there was also fear. I knew HYROX would be difficult. We were going into an event designed to challenge even highly trained athletes, and we were doing it as an Adaptive Doubles team. But after everything I’ve been through—from the accident, to cancer, to losing my leg, to depression—I knew that fear couldn’t be the reason I stopped. During the race, there were moments when my body was exhausted, and I wanted to slow down. But I kept thinking about how far I had already come. I wasn’t just running that race for myself. I was carrying the story of the person who survived cancer, survived depression, and chose to stand up again. And having Ameer beside me made it even more meaningful. We knew we had to finish together.</p><div><br/></div><div><iframe class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" id="instagram-embed-0" src="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DX_3ZiSqFJg/embed/captioned/?cr=1&amp;v=14&amp;wp=594&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com&amp;rp=%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A0%2C%22os%22%3A9852577.200000003%7D" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="1095" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-0" scrolling="no" style="background:white;max-width:540px;width:calc(100% - 2px);border-radius:3px;border:1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219);box-shadow:none;display:block;margin:0px 0px 12px;min-width:326px;padding:0px"></iframe></div><script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><div><br/></div><div><strong>MS</strong><strong>: There must be moments when your body, your circumstances, or even other people’s expectations tell you something is too difficult. How do you push through?</strong></div><p><strong>KT:</strong> I remind myself that I’ve already survived things I once thought I couldn’t survive. There was a time when I couldn’t imagine my life after amputation. There was a time when depression made me feel like I had no future. So when a workout becomes difficult, or a race becomes painful, I remind myself: <strong>“I’ve been through worse. I can get through this.”</strong> I also learned that being strong doesn’t mean you never feel weak. Sometimes you are scared, tired, or discouraged—and <strong>you keep going anyway.</strong></p><div><br/></div><div><strong>MS: How has becoming a para-athlete changed the way you look at obstacles?</strong></div><p><strong>KT: </strong>Before, an obstacle meant something that could stop me. Now, an obstacle is something I have to find a way around. Cancer changed my body. Amputation changed my life. Depression changed the way I saw myself. But sport changed the way I saw my future. My definition of “I can’t” has changed. Now, when I say “I can’t,” I usually mean “I haven’t found a way yet.”</p><div><br/></div><div><iframe class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" id="instagram-embed-4" src="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DcIxlc4zFdp/embed/captioned/?cr=1&amp;v=14&amp;wp=594&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com&amp;rp=%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A4%2C%22os%22%3A10035162.600000001%7D" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="1041" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-4" scrolling="no" style="background:white;max-width:540px;width:calc(100% - 2px);border-radius:3px;border:1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219);box-shadow:none;display:block;margin:0px 0px 12px;min-width:326px;padding:0px"></iframe></div><script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><div><br/></div><div><strong>MS: You competed together as an Adaptive Doubles team. What did you learn about each other?</strong></div><p><strong>KT</strong>: We learned that being teammates isn’t just about performance. It’s about understanding each other’s struggles. There are moments when one person is stronger and moments when the other needs encouragement. Because we both understand what it means to compete with one leg, there are things we don’t even have to explain to each other. During HYROX, we weren’t competing as two individuals. <strong>We were one team.</strong> Our goal wasn’t simply to finish fast. Our goal was to finish together.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>MS: For someone who has recently lost a limb or is struggling to accept a major change in their body or circumstances, what would you tell them?</strong></div><p><strong>KT:</strong> I would tell them: It’s okay not to be okay. After my amputation, I went through a very difficult period. I struggled with depression and had to learn how to accept a completely different version of myself. Don’t force yourself to immediately be strong. Give yourself time to grieve. But don’t give up on the possibility of a better life. Your life may look different now, but that doesn’t mean your life is over. I went from being a cancer patient who was struggling emotionally to becoming a national para-athlete and competing internationally. If that transformation was possible for me, I believe there is still a future waiting for anyone who is currently struggling.</p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib fr-rounded" style="width:700px;display:block"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1787639213483SnapInsta.to_465453679_17936622488929221_4426192070579181180_n.jpg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner">Kent at the Trifecta Race in Sparta, Greece | Photo via @kent.para.athlete</span></span></span></div><div><strong>MS: What would you say to an “ordinary” person who thinks they’re too old, too out of shape, too afraid, or simply not capable?</strong></div><p><strong>KT: </strong>Don’t wait for the perfect moment. I didn’t become an athlete when everything was perfect. I started rebuilding my life when everything felt broken. You don’t need to be the strongest or the fastest. You just need to take the first step. Your biggest limitation might not be your body or your circumstances. Sometimes it’s the belief that you are incapable. Start where you are. Use what you have. Take one step at a time. You might surprise yourself with how far you can go.</p><div><strong><br/></strong></div><div><strong>MS: If people remember only one thing about Kent and Ameer after this interview, what do you want that message to be?</strong></div><p><strong>KT:</strong> I want people to remember that your worst chapter doesn’t have to be your final chapter. I lost a leg because of Stage 4 bone cancer. I went through depression. I thought my life had completely changed for the worse. But today, I’m standing on starting lines, competing internationally, representing the Philippines, and doing things I once thought were impossible. <strong>Ameer and I want people to see that disability isn’t the end of your story. You can lose something and still find a new purpose. You can fall down and still rise. You can be broken and still become stronger.</strong> If our journey inspires even one person to take that first step, believe in themselves again, or chase a dream they thought was impossible, then our journey has meaning. We are not defined by what happened to us. We are defined by what we choose to do next.</p><div><br/></div><div><iframe class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" id="instagram-embed-2" src="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DcNFANgTGCz/embed/captioned/?cr=1&amp;v=14&amp;wp=594&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com&amp;rp=%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A2%2C%22os%22%3A9973587.800000004%7D" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="1365" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-2" scrolling="no" style="background:white;max-width:540px;width:calc(100% - 2px);border-radius:3px;border:1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219);box-shadow:none;display:block;margin:0px 0px 12px;min-width:326px;padding:0px"></iframe></div><script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><div><br/></div><p>Congratulations, Kent and Ameer!</p>

<p>Find out more about the inspirational duo who competed in Bangkok, Thailand</p>

Inspirational Filipino Para-Athletes Compete in HYROX Bangkok

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Inspirational Filipino Para-Athletes Compete in HYROX Bangkok

Leigh Sofia Lazo

Published August 25, 2026 02:00 PM PHT

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Updated August 25, 2026 02:32 PM PHT

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Ameer Sanchez Ahid

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