On September 19, in Đà Lạt, Vietnam, Mister Fitness Supermodel World crowns a winner — an annual international men’s pageant now in its fourth year. Three times, a Filipino has walked away with the second-best finish possible. Michael Angelo Toledo took third runner-up in 2023. Godfrey Nikolai Murillo was first runner-up in 2024. Denver Argana finished second runner-up last year. No Filipino has ever won it.

Jacob Kier Gomez, a 20-year-old Nursing student from Tarlac, is the Philippines’ fourth attempt — and he’s no stranger to falling just short before breaking through. “I don’t look at it as pressure, but for me, it’s a privilege,” he tells ELYSPLANET. “I know that the Philippines is still searching for its first win in this franchise, and my focus is only on preparing as hard as I can and performing my best.”

That comfort with almost is not new. Gomez lost his first pageant before he ever won one. What he’s carrying to Vietnam isn’t just a national drought — it’s a personal track record of turning near-misses into the next title.

Before the Crowns

Gomez says he never planned on pageantry in the first place. “I think it started when I gave myself the courage to try something new that was completely not my thing back then,” he recalls. “I actually never imagined I would be joining pageants,” he quips.

Once he was in, he kept coming back. In 2022, at the Mr. and Ms. Lyn Aesthetic Center competition, he placed first runner-up. The following year, he was first runner-up at Ginoong Matikas and second runner-up at Mr. LNK Anao — but also won his first title, at Mr. Pogi Quest Paniqui. In 2024, he won Mr. Teen Paniqui, sweeping a stack of special awards along the way: Best in Casual Wear, Best in School Uniform, Best in Summer Wear, Best in Formal Wear, Mr. Personality, and Mr. Photogenic. That same year, he was also runner-up at Mr. Tarlac United Lion’s Club, taking home the Turismo title.

Then came Ginoong Kanlahi 2025 — Tarlac’s official provincial pageant, held annually as the centerpiece of the Kanlahi Festival — which Gomez describes as the moment that changed the direction of his journey. “What I remember most about winning Ginoong Kanlahi was the moment and the feeling when my name was called during the announcement of the winners,” he remembers. “It was a moment where all the preparation, nerves, and sacrifices finally paid off.” For Gomez, though, the bigger change came after the announcement. “Winning Ginoong Kanlahi was my turning point,” he adds. “It became one of the moments that changed the direction of my journey.”

Before that first major title, he explains, he was mostly trying to prove to himself that he could win. Afterward, other people entered the equation. “The biggest change or adjustment for me was realizing that winning comes with responsibility,” he continues. “During the competition, I was mainly eager to prove to myself that I could win. But after that, I was also required to carry the expectations of the people who supported me.” That meant more discipline, more preparation and more attention to how he presented himself.

The next step was Misters of Filipinas, the national organization that sends Filipino titleholders to international male pageant franchises. There, Gomez was named Mister Fitness Supermodel World Philippines and earned his ticket to the international competition in Vietnam — the pageant career that began with runner-up finishes was now carrying a national title.

The Life Outside the Sash

There is more to Gomez than the competition schedule. He is a second-year Nursing student at Tarlac State University, and lives in Tarlac with his older brother and grandmother while his parents work in the United States. He also visits the US regularly, and those trips have influenced how he imagines his life after pageantry. “Growing up in Tarlac and having the privilege to travel to the US shaped the way I see myself in a sense that I want to work and live there in the future,” he explains. “The environment, the lifestyle is simply the best fit for me.”

For now, though, Tarlac remains the place he carries most visibly. “Being a Tarlaqueño is something I carry with pride wherever I go,” Gomez adds. He credits growing up in the province with teaching him to appreciate where he came from and to embrace different people — Tarlac’s diversity, including its seven ethnic groups, is something he identifies as part of that experience. “Every time I step onstage, I carry not only the Philippine flag, but also Tarlac with me.”

It’s a useful reminder that national representation rarely starts at the national level. For Gomez, it began in Anao.

The Work

His days now have considerably less room for improvisation. Gomez is balancing Nursing school with gym sessions, Q&A practice, coaching, and the other preparations required for an international competition. “It can be very exhausting,” he admits, “but what keeps me going is that I always think of the people who supported me, and I always keep my eyes on the prize.”

At this point, he says the thing he is sharpening most is not another physical detail. It is his mental state. “With the rigorous schedule that I have, I can sometimes feel very drained,” he notes. “But I use my mindset and mental state to think clearly, which helps me push through all of this.” That may be the less visible part of the preparation, but it’s probably the more useful one.

The physical side is the easy part — that can be drilled in a gym or rehearsed in front of a mirror. Staying sharp when Nursing school, training, and pageant prep are all competing for the same hours is the harder skill.

What Happens After the Crown

There is one more thing Gomez wants to prove, though it has little to do with winning. When asked what he wants people to remember after this chapter is over, he doesn’t mention a title or placement. He wants to be remembered as a good man. “When all of this is over, the trophies, the recognition, and the attention will not last forever,” he reflects. “But the kindness I showed to the people around me and the inspiration I was able to give them will remain.”

That answer feels less like a pageant response when placed beside the rest of his story. He has already learned what losing feels like, and what winning feels like — and that winning also means taking responsibility for the people who helped get you there.

At 20, he is still studying what comes next. Maybe it will be another crown. Maybe Nursing. Maybe, eventually, a life and career in the United States. For now, it is Vietnam — and a title the Philippines has been chasing for three years running.

The boy who finished first runner-up in his first pageant in 2022 has kept entering competitions, kept learning, and kept moving up. This time, he isn’t going there just to see what happens. He’s going there as the Philippines.