From janitor to SEA Games champion: John Chicano’s unlikely triathlon journey
Before John “Rambo” Chicano stood on top of a SEA Games podium, he was simply a young father trying to make a living.
He needed a job to support his daughter, so he accepted work as a helper and janitor at a bike shop.
He had no elite athletic résumé.
In fact, he had one glaring problem for someone who would eventually become a triathlete:
He couldn't swim.
But someone saw something in him.
The bike shop owner was national triathlon coach Melvyn Fausto, who recognized potential in Chicano and decided to teach him from the ground up.
It was hardly an easy beginning.
Chicano was learning one of the most fundamental skills of triathlon while simultaneously trying to survive in the water. During his early training, he was still nearly drowning.
Fausto, however, kept teaching.
And Chicano kept showing up.
Just three months after beginning his training, he was already competing.
From learning to swim to racing for medals
What started as a job became the beginning of an unlikely sporting journey.
Chicano quickly developed into a competitive triathlete, eventually earning his first major SEA Games medal in 2017.
He won silver, finishing behind fellow Filipino teammate Nikko Huelgas.
Two years later, Chicano went one step further.
Competing on home soil at the 2019 SEA Games in Subic, close to his native Olongapo City, he captured gold in the men's individual triathlon.
The following day, he added another gold medal in the mixed relay.
The man who once struggled to stay afloat was now standing on top of a SEA Games podium.
More than a medal
Chicano's story is remarkable not simply because of the medals he eventually won.
It is because of where the journey began.
There was no obvious indication that a young father working as a bike shop helper and janitor would become a champion triathlete.
There was simply an opportunity—and someone willing to recognize his potential.
Fausto provided the guidance.
Chicano provided the commitment.
The transformation did not happen overnight.
It came through learning a skill he initially couldn't do, enduring difficult training and continuing to show up even when the path ahead was uncertain.
And that may be the most powerful lesson in his story.
Someone saw what others didn't
Sports often celebrates athletes after they have already made it.
We see the medals.
The podiums.
The national team uniform.
The victories.
What we don't always see is the person before all of that—the athlete who is still learning, struggling and trying to find a way forward.
John Chicano was once that person.
He was a young father looking for work.
A helper.
A janitor.
A man who couldn't even swim.
Then someone looked beyond the job he was doing and saw an athlete.
Chicano didn't waste the opportunity.
From cleaning a bike shop to becoming a two-time 2019 SEA Games gold medalist, his journey is a reminder that talent doesn't always announce itself.
Sometimes, it needs someone to notice.
And sometimes, all that person needs is the courage to keep showing up.
Athletes are people first.
And behind every champion, there may be a story that began long before anyone knew their name. 🇵🇭🔥
Off court only. Cool things only.
