He Placed Fifth... But Left the Stage a Champion

The lights came up. The music began. One by one, the athletes walked onto the stage at last weekend's Batangas Bodybuilding Championships, each carrying months of sacrifice, discipline, and determination in pursuit of victory.

To the audience, they looked like any other lineup of competitors. But among them stood one athlete fighting a battle far greater than the one unfolding under the stage lights.

Ross De Castro wasn't just competing against the other men beside him.

He was competing against cancer.

Ross is much more than the athlete standing under the stage lights. Outside of bodybuilding, he's a devoted husband to Rhea, a proud father to two young boys, a Senior Director of Operations for one of the Philippines' leading BPO companies, an entrepreneur, and a coach who is passionate about helping others become healthier, stronger versions of themselves.

Although he only began competing in bodybuilding in 2022, he quickly made his mark on the Philippine stage, earning a bronze medal at the 2022 NPC Mr. Philippines, another bronze at the 2025 PasigLaban Muscle Showdown, and a silver medal at the 2025 Musclecontest Philippines. His future in the sport looked incredibly bright. Those who know him describe him as someone who is always building, whether it's businesses, physiques, or people. 

Then, just two years ago, everything changed.

Ross was diagnosed with advanced cancer and told he had approximately 18 months to live. The diagnosis was devastating, not because he feared death, but because he feared everything he would leave behind.

"At that time, my sons were only eight and nine years old," Ross recalls. "My heart broke thinking that I might never see them grow up... I wasn't planning how to survive. I was preparing everyone else for my absence." 

He arranged his own funeral, organized his finances, and even started businesses so Rhea would have the financial security to care for their family if he was gone.

Then everything changed once again.

At the urging of his father, Ross sought a second opinion. Instead of being told there was no hope, he was introduced to a treatment plan that gave him something he desperately needed: a fighting chance. 

Today, Ross continues to do what many thought impossible. He still steps onto the bodybuilding stage, not because it's easy. Far from it.

Forty-two sessions of radiotherapy stripped away much of the muscle he had spent years building. Ongoing hormone therapy makes adding and maintaining muscle an uphill battle, while treatment continues to challenge both his body and his recovery. Yet he refuses to compare himself to the athlete he once was. Instead, he focuses on becoming the best version of the man he is today. 

For an athlete who had already stood on bodybuilding podiums before cancer entered his life, accepting fifth place could have been difficult. Instead, that mindset was on full display after his recent fifth-place finish. While some athletes would have walked away disappointed, Ross celebrated as though he had won the entire competition.

Why?

Because for him, he already had.

"When you've been told you might not even be alive today, your perspective changes. Every opportunity becomes a victory long before the judges announce the placings." 

Like many competitors, Ross once dreamed of earning his IFBB Pro Card. But cancer taught him that life is far bigger than titles.

Today, success isn't defined by trophies or professional status. It's measured by showing up, giving everything he has with the body he has today, and refusing to let cancer write the final chapter of his story. Just as importantly, it's found in helping others. As a coach, he says watching his athletes succeed brings him just as much joy as chasing his own goals ever did. 

No one fights a battle like this alone, and Ross is the first to say he never has.

He credits his father for refusing to let him give up, his wife Lovelyn for standing beside him through every hospital visit and setback, and his two sons for giving him a reason to keep fighting every single day.

He also speaks with deep gratitude about Mick Antonio and Team Ninong. Ross remembers his very first conversation with Mick, who told him his goal was to lift everybody up. Those words immediately resonated with him and earned both his respect and loyalty. Through Team Ninong, Ross says he found far more than teammates; he found family. Alongside his close-knit group, Pamilya Banakon, he discovered a community that reminds him he never has to fight alone. 

Perhaps the most remarkable part of Ross's story isn't that he continues to compete.

It's that he has never once considered quitting.

"Bodybuilding has become part of who I am. As long as I'm physically able to train, I'll continue showing up. It reminds me that I'm alive, that I still have purpose, and that cancer doesn't get to define the ending of my story." 

When we asked Ross what he would say to someone facing a life-threatening illness, his answer was far bigger than bodybuilding.

"If you're reading this while fighting cancer, I want you to know something. The word 'difficult' doesn't even begin to describe the journey ahead. There will be days filled with pain, fear, frustration, and exhaustion. There will be moments when you'll question everything.

But it is possible.

Whenever you feel like giving up, go back to the reason you chose to fight in the first place. Hold on to that reason with everything you have because it will carry you through the darkest days.

And please remember—you are never truly alone. There may be moments when loneliness overwhelms you, but open your eyes and your heart. You'll find people who love you, people who care for you, and people who are willing to walk beside you, even when you feel you have nothing left.

Have faith in yourself. Have faith in God. Keep showing up, one day at a time.

You don't have to win every battle in a single day. You only have to keep fighting today's battle.

As long as you're still here, your story isn't over." 

Ross De Castro may have placed fifth on the scorecards that day. But for everyone who knows his story, he walked off that stage a champion.

Not because he defeated the athletes standing beside him.

But because he refused to let cancer defeat the man within him.

In the end, his greatest achievement won't be remembered as a placing, a title, or even the physique he built. It will be the legacy of hope, courage, and resilience he leaves behind, a reminder that no matter how impossible the battle may seem, the human spirit is capable of far more than we ever imagine.

Some champions earn their legacy through victory. Others earn it simply by refusing to stop fighting. Ross De Castro has done both.