On her 11th birthday, young Trixia Anne Arellano did something extraordinary—she broke a national record in the 200-metre dash at a major youth sports event in the Philippines. What made her win even more remarkable? She ran barefoot.
Representing Western Visayas in the Philippines’ 65th Palarong Pambansa (a national student-athlete competition similar to Singapore’s National School Games), Trixia finished the 200-metre race in just 26.40 seconds—surpassing a 17-year-old record. The next day, she added another gold medal to her name by winning the 100-metre sprint.
But beyond the medals and broken records, it was how she won that captured hearts across the region. Trixia had worn shoes in the preliminary rounds and didn’t win. But during the finals, she made the bold decision to go barefoot—something she felt more comfortable with, and the results speak for themselves.
Her story is a powerful reminder to parents everywhere that sometimes, the best thing we can do is support our children in finding their own stride—literally and figuratively. Whether it’s allowing them to try something unconventional, or backing their decisions that may seem unusual at first glance, Trixia’s triumph shows us that confidence, self-awareness, and heart can make a world of difference.
As Singaporean parents raising children in an increasingly competitive world, it’s easy to focus on results—be it academic scores or performance in co-curricular activities. But stories like Trixia’s remind us that resilience, self-belief, and the courage to be different are just as important.
So the next time your child wants to try something their own way (within safe limits, of course), it might just be the beginning of a winning journey.
