Dominic Camozzi’s mother was overseas when she had a stroke, and he could only follow the news from a distance. “I was shocked, and being that far away made me feel completely helpless,” he tells ElysPlanet.
Camozzi had spent years training his own body with real discipline. The stroke made him think about who else he should have been training for. “I hadn’t put that same energy into my family’s health,” he says. He decided to do whatever it took to help her recover, and to help her build habits that would lower her chances of another stroke.
That decision shaped his run at Century Tuna Superbods 2026, the Philippines’ longest-running fitness search, now in its 20th year. The 35-year-old from Taguig made the men’s Top 8, and by the time our pre-finals rundown of the men’s field introduced him, his mother’s health was already the center of his story.
A Park, a Dog, and a Set of Resistance Bands
The first sessions were walks. Camozzi and his mother would take the family dog to the park together, an easy routine he picked so she wouldn’t feel overwhelmed. “The goal wasn’t intensity,” he says. “It was getting her to enjoy moving again.”
Once the walks were a habit, he brought resistance bands into the house for light, full-body work: bicep curls, shoulder raises, and squats.
Today his mother attends a weightlifting class for seniors, and the two still walk the dog at the park. Seeing how far she’s come led Camozzi to start #MoveWithYourParents as his Superbods campaign, encouraging families to exercise together. He says watching other families work out with their parents was the best part of the whole experience.
The Kid Who Wanted to Be Jackie Chan
Camozzi grew up watching Jackie Chan movies with his father and wanted to be an action star, or at least a stuntman. He earned a black belt in taekwondo and went after stunt work right out of high school. Then he got hurt attempting a backflip, an injury that nearly left him paralyzed.
Afterward, he promised his mother he would go to college and find what he calls a “normal” career. He has now spent 15 years in tech, designing apps for a living, which he says surprises most people. He’s been a techie since he was a kid, taking computers apart with a cousin and building his first websites.
He doesn’t see design and fitness as opposites. “In product design, you build things that make people’s lives better,” he says, “and that’s exactly what I did with my mom.”
The pull toward performing stayed with him, and he has since taken on modeling and acting work alongside the tech job. Superbods came next. “We only get one life, so go after what you want,” he says. “Don’t leave room for regrets.”
Finding His Place in the Batch
Superbods was Camozzi’s first competition of any kind, and this year’s field was the biggest yet. Organizers expanded the 20th-anniversary edition to 40 finalists, 20 men and 20 women, several of them already carrying pageant titles or athletic careers.
He admits he had imposter syndrome and wondered whether he belonged. Hearing the other finalists’ stories changed that. Each one took courage to share, he says, and that pushed him to stop comparing himself and own his. He thinks his story connected most with people who have aging parents. “At the end of the day, we were all chosen for a reason,” he says.
The attention he got for his looks during the run caught him off guard. “Haha, I was shocked! I’ve never gotten that kind of attention before,” he says. As one of the older contestants, he took it as proof he could keep up with the younger guys, and as a message to anyone who thinks it’s too late. “You’re never too old to start.”
Top 8, No Regrets
On finals night at Solaire Resort North, Camozzi made the men’s Top 8 for the deciding Q&A round. He didn’t win an individual award and says he’s still surprised he got that far. “I gave it everything,” he says, crediting his mentors and supporters. “I walked away with more than I came in with.”
The men’s title went to Austin Dizon Cabatana, Mister International Philippines 2023, who won on an advocacy for accessible, quality nutrition. Camozzi says he knew from callbacks that Cabatana was different, and describes him as one of the kindest, most down-to-earth people you’ll meet. He thinks the judges saw that authenticity too.
From Superbods to the Bench Runway
The first gig came right after Superbods. On September 26, Camozzi walked the runway at Bench Fashion Week Holiday 2026, the seasonal showcase of Philippine clothing brand Bench, held at SPACE in One Ayala, Makati. It builds on the modeling work he had already been doing alongside his tech job, this time on one of the country’s biggest fashion stages.
The Next Stage
Being on the Superbods stage made Camozzi more confident speaking in public, and people have since suggested he try hosting. He’s open to it. “It feels like the kid who wanted to be the next Jackie Chan is finally getting his shot,” he says.
Training his mother improved her health, he says, and it also brought the two of them closer. He hopes other families see that exercise can do the same for them.
“If you take one thing from my story,” he says, “call your parents, and go move with them.”