In a world where many children spend hours glued to gadgets, nine-year-old Jeremiah Immanuel ‘Jiro’ Romanillos from Manila has found a different way to use his screen time-by mastering the art of yo-yo.
Jiro, a Grade 4 student at Legarda Elementary School, turned YouTube tutorials into a training ground, learning and perfecting complex yo-yo tricks from online videos.
On Saturday, October 4, he represented young players at the Philippine National Yo-Yo Competition held at SM San Mateo. Competing in the Amateur 1A-U12 division, he spun, swung, and performed his way to a fourth-place finish, demonstrating how passion and perseverance can take a child far-even at a young age.
In the same category, Asher Villena took the championship, followed by Arkyne Gaibe Nepumuceno in second place and Josh Daniel Cabetingan in third.
As early as five, Jiro showed a competitive streak, challenging relatives to speed-solving Rubik’s cubes.
He has also balanced his hobby with academics, maintaining first honors while dedicating hours to yo-yo practice.
Beyond competitions, Jiro aspires to a science-driven career, aiming to work at NASA or a similar agency.