SIBLING RELATIONSHIPS may be considered one of the most influential factors that play a key role in decision-making, specifically in a sports setting. A teammate relationship intertwined with familial intimacy builds a powerful and dynamic bond that is strengthened by sports. While times of rivalry and comparison are inevitable, at the end of the day the unconditional support and encouragement that siblings can give one another is unparalleled.

This unique relationship is something rookies Matteo Crisostomo and Krizia Zulueta will share with their sprinter siblings, Nika Crisostomo and Team Captain Kim Zulueta, as Ateneo Track and Field welcomes a pair of fresh yet familiar faces in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 81.

Camaraderie amidst the sport’s adversity  

En route to their Track and Field careers, Nika’s and Matteo’s journeys to the big blue oval started during their late-adolescence days, where Nika became a consecutive Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association medalist, while Matteo established himself as a three-time UAAP Juniors bronze medalist in his time at the Ateneo High School.

However, despite being regulars on the podium, the sport was not something the Crisostomos were always accustomed to. Nika initially trained as a tennis player before becoming an intercollegiate sprinter. “I had zero experience in track,” the communication senior shared. “But I wanted to be part of the team, so I powered through, and here I am now.”

Meanwhile, Matteo initially leaned towards basketball until Nika’s acceptance to the Ateneo Track and Field team in 2016 played a factor in Matteo’s decision to follow in her footsteps and join the team.

Having always been each other’s best friends, the tandem dismisses any sort of rivalry or resentment on and off track, and instead strengthen their bond through their sport. By witnessing their lowest and highest points together, Nika and Matteo are able to breach down each other’s walls and create an atmosphere of comfort amidst the uncertainty and anxiety of each competition.

“Track is a tough sport. It is here where I’ve been humbled by the limits of the human body, but also amazed at its ability to push itself to the edge,” admits Nika. “There’s a certain vulnerability that only teammates can share with each other. I’m just extra lucky because I get to share it with my brother.”

Burden of expectations

Nika and Matteo are not the only sibling pair in the Ateneo Track and Field Team fortunate enough to share an experience. Unlike the Crisostomos, though, Kim and Krizia Zulueta, have had the sport of track in their blood ever since their childhood.

Kim, the older of the two, was spotted by a track coach as early as Grade 2 while she was running around the oval. Since then, the elder Zulueta has developed to be a decorated sprinter, recently bagging a silver medal in the 4x100m relay in the 80th Singapore Open Track & Field Championships in 2018 as part of the Philippine delegation.

Similarly, her sister Krizia started the sport at a young age, only pursuing it seriously in high school where she and her older sisters, Kim and Karen, represented the University of St. La Salle Integrated School in Bacolod City. Krizia has had her fair share of success, winning gold in the 100m dash and silver in the 100m hurdles in the regional Private Schools Athletic Association Tournament held in Iloilo in 2017.

Now that the Bacolod-based sisters find themselves donning the Blue and White colors together, the captain shares that having her younger sister in the team is a welcome change. “Track [feels] more like home where I [can] have someone to share my victories and frustrations to,” says Kim.

Aside from the environmental change, Kim is now more optimistic about their performance in the upcoming UAAP tourney. With such hefty goals, however, “Baby Kim,” as she is sometimes fondly called by her teammates, feels some pressure—not only to deliver for the team, but also in living up to her sister.

“Given that Ate Kim has accomplished so many things, and [I’m] just starting [my] first year, there will be a lot of expectations,” she said. “It’s hard but it will help you test and know your limits. That’s why she’s also one of my inspirations to strive harder and do better.”

Kim, on the other hand, is also very aware that her younger sister has the capacity to surpass every expectation. “[Krizia’s] times are faster compared to mine when I was her age. So, if she continues to improve she could easily beat my times,” she revealed. “I wouldn’t be surprised if she does, though. She’s got a lot of potential.”

With Nika and Kim graduating at the year’s end, promising rookies Matteo and Krizia are determined to carry on the baton handed over by their ates in UAAP Season 81 and in the years to come.

Editor’s Note: Nika Crisostomo is a current staffer in The GUIDON’s Vantage Magazine.