By Daniel Enrico
In every sport, before a woman gets the chance to show what she can do, people may already have an idea of what she should be.
“Think you know sports? Prove it,” actress Sydney Sweeney challenges in a sports betting ad. Yet for women who actually compete, proving themselves is not a campaign slogan. It is a relentless fight for legitimacy in a field where their bodies are routinely evaluated before their abilities are ever tested. Their power is no spectacle created for an audience, it is earned through every injury, sacrifice, and silent victory on the stage.
At Silliman University (SU), that reality can be seen in the women who continue to make their place in competition, in their respective sports and in the journey behind it. At a time when sports remain heavily influenced by male-dominated traditions and social stereotypes, three athletes—Chelsea Fleur Sulla in karatedo, Nathalie Santillan in swimming, and Jemina Kesiya Aglipa in archery are showing that athletic authority is built on unyielding grit, physical discipline, and the determination to overcome adversity.
For Chelsea Fleur Sulla, a second-year engineering student and team captain of the SU Red Stallions Karate Team, proving her capability was nearly 13 years in the making. Having started karate at six years old, Sulla experienced the full spectrum of competitive athletics, including the heartbreak of a disappointing finish at the 2023 Batang Pinoy National Championships during her final year of eligibility.
Her journey was not built only from victories. After falling short of her goal at the 2023 Batang Pinoy National Championships, Sulla faced another challenge this year when a previous knee injury resurfaced shortly after she learned she would compete for SU at the Private Schools Athletic Association (PRISAA).
The injury did not end her season. She returned to the competition carrying with her the discipline and determination that have shaped her years in karate.
“It’s also about learning how to deal with disappointment, accepting that some things take time, and finding the courage to continue even when things don’t go as planned,” Sulla said.
At the 2026 National PRISAA Games, Sulla led her team to a gold medal in team kumite (sparring) together with Samantha Dales from the SU Red Stallions Karate Team, proving that combat sports belong to anyone willing to push through physical pain and doubt.
In the water, Nathalie Santillan, a third-year foreign affairs student, learned not to place those limits on herself.
Swimming since early elementary school, Santillan expanded her athletic background over the years from pool meets to open-water marathons and triathlon relays, learning to adapt to demanding competitive environments.
“Being a woman in sports has taught me that strength does not always have to look a certain way,” Santillan reflected. “I have learned to be comfortable taking up space in a field where women are sometimes expected to be quieter or less competitive.”
When an injury prevented Santillan from competing at the 2026 PRISAA National Games after qualifying, she channeled her determination into mentoring younger swimmers on the team, proving that grit also means finding ways to contribute when sidelined from competition.
Sports also taught Jemina Kesiya Aglipa, a second-year business analytics student, that becoming an athlete could begin with something as simple as putting her phone down.
In February 2022, her mother encouraged her to stop scrolling and try taking up a sport, leading Aglipa to pick up archery. She had no plans to become an athlete; she was simply trying something new.
But as she continued training, archery became something she wanted to take seriously. By senior high school, she had become a student-athlete at SU and continued competing when she entered college as a business analytics student.
Her first competition came at the 2022 World Archery Philippines Leg 3 in Cebu. Four years later, the girl who had picked up a bow and arrow on a whim competed at the National PRISAA Games where she won gold in the team event and sixth overall.
The result was a long way from where she started: a girl who picked up a bow simply because her mother encouraged her to try a sport.
The range taught Aglipa that belonging did not require her to be the best person holding a bow. It only asked her to trust herself enough to take the shot.
“I’ve learned to be more confident in myself and not let fear or doubt stop me from trying,” she said. For someone whose sporting journey began simply by trying, the lesson has remained largely the same. That sometimes, the first step toward becoming an athlete is allowing yourself to take the shot.
Maybe the bigger question is not how confident a woman looks when she enters a sport , but how far she can grow once she chooses to stay.
Sydney Sweeney’s challenge, “Think you know sports? Prove it,” finds its answer in Sulla, Santillan, and Aglipa. Their proof lies not in a campaign, but in the pain endured, the setbacks overcome, and the victories earned. These women have nothing left to prove. It is the world that must unlearn its doubts about them.
