It doesn’t matter if you take a step back, but don’t quit. And just keep moving forward, even if step by step – you will eventually get the podium that you deserve.
Such is the rallying cry of multi-hyphenated Champion in Life, Karl Bautista. Dividing his time as a coach, a content creator, an OCR athlete, as well as an architect, he is no stranger to his fair share of trials – all of which led him to the triumph he enjoys today.
Looking back, Karl quickly realized his potential in sport when he tried out for his school’s football varsity in the third grade. Cashing in on his natural quickness and dexterity on the field, he quickly excelled in the sports, even drinking MILO® to energize himself for his regular training. However, it was only a matter of time before he experienced his first setback – for which he experienced bullying for his sexuality.
Discovering he was gay as a young student-athlete, he received discrimination from his peers, which had him fall out of love with the first sport that gave him an opportunity. But while he stopped performing for the football varsity, Karl turned setback into success by excelling in other sports. Next came frisbee, then gymnastics, then obstacle course running, then parkouring…and the rest is history.
Eventually, Karl also found a safe space in peers that supported him – whether in sports or in life. “From OCR, I met so many people who were also into all of these different sports; and that's how it all started.”
While able to find his home in other sports, he still occasionally experiences hardships. In one instance, Karl joined multiple competitions in various sports in rapid succession – only to come up ever so short. Making it to the top 4, top 6, or top 11 plagued his thoughts, throwing him in a cycle of self-doubt and even bouts of tears. But, as he’s experienced in the past – the best was only yet to come.
Discipline, as well as patience, drove Karl to prove his abilities and be the best athlete that he can be. Following one close call to the podium to another, he ultimately reached one of his greatest wins when, after four years of practicing OCR, he was able to clinch multiple medals at the 2024 North ASEAN Series – bronze in the Philippines leg; gold in the Vietnam leg; and another gold for his age category.
Karl uses his experiences in sport as fuel to not only champion his authentic self, but also to live out his biggest advocacy – supporting LGBTQIA+ individuals in sport and championing sports inclusivity. He has partnered with like-minded organizations such as the Pilipinas Obstacle Sports Federation and the Philippine Rugby team to give talks on sports inclusivity, and to serve as an inspiration to fellow athletes.
Drawing back to the time he was bullied, he shares, “I don't want kids to feel that way growing up, that they have to quit sports just because they're gay. If I didn't quit, I feel like I could've gone so much farther – but also, because of it, ang dami ko ring napuntahan na ibang sports, and I met other people as well.”
Alongside his vision for the future of sports, Karl is also determined to be the best in his profession as an architect. He openly shares how being an architect is much like being an athlete in many ways, especially in the patience and discipline both areas require in the journey to success. But at the end of the day, it’s this very patience that has led Karl to walk down the path of being a champion in both sports in life.
In the same way that structures take time to be built up and bloom, and in the same way that sports can serve as a great teacher even from a very young age, Karl is a living testament to patience and discipline can take one very far. Karl also lives by the simple mantra of “Do not quit,” illustrating how every champion’s darkest days are always immediately followed by their greatest triumphs.
