Canadian bobsledder and Winter Olympic aspirant Cesar de Guzman proud of Filipino roots

MANILA, Philippines -- The Philippines has a wealth of heroes from a multitude of sports.

If you were to ask your average Filipino who their Filipino athletics hero is, you would get a ton of answers: Carlos Yulo. Hidilyn Diaz. Robert Jaworski. Manny Pacquiao. Efren “Bata” Reyes. Neshy Petecio. Paeng Nepomuceno. Justin Brownlee. EJ Obiena. And the list goes on and on.

But let’s be honest – if you were to ask an average Filipino, not a lot would answer athletes competing in winter sports.

It’s not that Filipino athletes are not great in winter sports, as the Philippines has been represented in a number of Winter Olympics.

In fact, the Philippine curling team is also eyeing a breakthrough appearance in the 2026 Winter Olympics.

It is just that the Philippines, being a tropical country, has no snow.

But over at the Great White North, a Filipino is eyeing to represent the Pearl of the Orient Seas in a winter sport – bobsledding.

Twenty-five year old Cesar de Guzman is a member of Team Canada’s bobsled team.

The brakeman out of Toronto, Ontario is born and raised in Canada, but he wants to showcase to the world how strong Philippine pride is on ice.

In an interview with Philstar.com, de Guzman said he wants to be able to influence the Filipino youth to try winter sports.

“I think especially because there is very little Filipino representation in winter sports, I really want to be that influence on the next generation of athletes. There are a lot of Filipinos out there who don't even know that bobsleigh is a sport,” he told Philstar.com.

“I want to help grow awareness of the sport and other winter sports for the Philippines,” he added.

De Guzman underscored just how happy he is to be able to represent the Philippines despite flying the Canadian flag in competition.

“As a Canadian-born Filipino, I learned how strong the Philippines national pride is. From watching Manny Pacquiao fights as a child, to listening to American idol contestants perform or seeing other athletes competing at elite levels in their respective sports, representing the Philippines brings a huge sense of joy,” he said.

“Knowing I have two countries rooting for my success does bring a bit of pressure to do well in competition but that is also a driving force to train hard and pursue excellence. I'm proud knowing that even though I am wearing a Canadian flag, I am also representing the Philippines."

Origins

But while de Guzman is making his mark on the ice, his original sport is far from bobsledding. He was originally a rugby player.

But the COVID-19 pandemic put his career and plans on ice (no pun intended.)

“During COVID, while my rugby season was on pause, I saw bobsleigh on TV. Feeling like I still had something to prove in my own athletic abilities I thought bobsleigh would be a good sport to transition to after I graduated,” he said.

“Rugby has a big focus on power and speed much like bobsledding. I wanted to find the true limits of my abilities and that's what sparked the Olympic dream,” he added.

He admitted that it took him some time to get the hang of bobsledding, but eventually, he was able to learn.

“The hardest part was learning how to sprint properly. For rugby we're running in grass and dirt in multiple directions and speeds. With Bobsleigh we're running on ice in a straight line as fast as we can for five seconds at the start of the track,” he said.

“Learning how to run with proper form and technique without wasting energy was a big challenge for me. And I'm still finding and being taught ways to improve.”

And with him already in the Canadian team, he is setting his sights on the 2026 and 2030 Winter Olympics.

And who knows, he may even make the transition from brakeman to pilot eventually.

But for now, the focus is making it to the Games for de Guzman.

“Right now I want to focus on doing all that I can to put my best foot forward for 2026.”