Fil-Am gymnast Kyla Ross on Olympic gold medal: 'It was all worth it'

By KARLA MAQUILING

Published August 27, 2012 3:30pm

Fil-Am gymnast Kyla Ross describes her winning of a gold medal in the 2012 Olympics as “thrilling,” “unbelievable,” and “exciting.”

The 15-year-old gymnast helped the US Women’s Gymnastics Team bag the gold for the first time in 16 years at the 2012 Olympics in London.

In an e-mail interview with GMA News Online, Ross said, “I wanted to laugh, cry, and scream all at the same time. It makes you feel everything you’ve ever done—gymnastics wise and personal decisions made—was all worth it.”

Her mother Kiana was born in Hawaii and has German, Filipino, Puerto Rican, and Chinese blood. Ross' maternal great-grandfather Tano was 16 when he left Pangasinan to work in a sugar plantation in Hawaii. Her great-grandmother came from Cebu. Ross’s father Jason is thus African-American and Japanese.

From her Filipino side of the family, Ross learned hard work and responsibility. She hopes to come and visit the Philippines one day and see her maternal relatives and her Pinoy fans who have been rooting for her since day one. “I want to sincerely thank my Filipino fans for their love and support. I hope I can continue to make them feel proud of me,” said Ross, who loves pinakbet and halo-halo.

Preparing for Olympics

Ross, who claims to "love competing," said preparing for the Olympics was no easy task.

“I had to stay focused. I trained 35 hours a week. My coaches, Jenny Zhang and Howie Liang, were very good at pacing me. I’m pretty good at eating healthy and staying away from junk food. My mother cooks nutritious meals so my diet didn’t change,” Ross shared.

Ross' parents have always been very supportive of their children’s athletic interests. Kyla's

brother plays baseball while her sister is a volleyball player. Their parents shuttle them to school and practice.

“Both of my parents work very hard, and I know they have sacrificed a lot of time and money,

but they never complain. I know it’s not easy for them but they always seem to get everything done,” she said. Her parents and brother, along with her grandparents and aunts from Hawaii, were at the stands cheering for her during the London Olympics.

Back to normal

Coming back home to the US from the Olympics, she has settled back into her routine: gym training and getting ready for school opening in September. In the last four years that she has been with the USA National Gymnastics Team, Ross managed to attend regular high school while making time for training camps in Houston, Texas, and international assignments.

During her down time, she squeezes in a few hours at night and early in the morning to do her homework. “My teachers give me assignments ahead of time when I need to travel. I have to stay organized, otherwise things can get crazy real fast,” she said.

When not in school or training, Ross spends a lot of time baking and cooking with family. “I have a big extended family on both my mom’s and dad’s side. I love hanging out with them,” she shared. - VVP, GMA News

Tags: olympics, london2012, kylaross, unitedstates