Filipino gymnast John Ivan Cruz wins SEA Games vault gold after protest

Filipino gymnast John Ivan Cruz was awarded the gold medal in the vault apparatus at the 33rd Southeast Asian Games men's artistic gymnastics after a successful protest.

Initially, Cruz was announced as the silver medalist, but a review of the competition led to him being declared a co-champion.

He shares the gold medal with Malaysia's Muhammad Sharul Aimy, as both gymnasts achieved an average score of 13.833 points.

Thailand's Tikumporn Surintorta secured the bronze medal with a score of 13.717 points.

Cruz expressed that his initial target was to defend his floor exercise title, but he focused well and seized the opportunity given by God.

He explained that gymnasts can file a protest if they believe a result was biased, which led to the reevaluation and change of his medal standing.

Cruz noticed an inconsistency because his first vault involved higher difficulty skills with minimal deductions, prompting the inquiry that ultimately changed the outcome.