Juliana Gomez bypassed the spotlight to fight for her place in Philippine fencing.

PHOTOGRAPHY JV Rabano
CREATIVE DIRECTION Maura Rodriguez&nbsp;
STYLING Frances Laman

In an industry where children of famous personalities often follow the pre-paved path to red carpets and endorsement deals, Juliana Gomez’s trajectory was intentionally different. As the daughter of actor Richard Gomez and politician Lucy Torres-Gomez, her name carried enough leverage to skip several lines. Had she wanted to be a child star or step into the spotlight, the doors would have been wide open. She recalled, “If I had wanted to appear in more commercials, or if I wanted to be a child star, my parents definitely would have allowed me. Except, I grew up really, really shy.”
So, she grew up timid, much preferring the sidelines of her parents’ high-glamour events, and eventually choosing a venue where famous last names offer little advantage: the fencing piste.
Juliana was under no illusion about where she started. Her privilege is not lost on her. She speaks about her background with a sharp, refreshing self-awareness, acknowledging the access her upbringing provided without using it as a shield.
“I’m lucky that a lot of opportunities have fallen on my lap,” she reflects, “I need to make the most out of the opportunities.”

Making the most of it didn’t mean taking the expected routes. Coming out of an international high school where students are routinely mentored for Ivy League pipelines and SAT prep, Juliana declined the conventional script. Studying abroad held little allure for her, and her heart was set on the University of the Philippines. “That was the only school I wanted to go to because that’s where my parents went,” she said. “My heart was set on studying locally.”
While celebrity culture was a backdrop in her life, sports was the steady anchor. “My dad was an athlete ever since,” Juliana says. “When I was a kid, he’d make it a point to bring me with him to every training, every competition. Growing up, it was really just sports.”
Before finding her place on the fencing side of things, she spent years testing her limits across different courts, playing basketball, football, and volleyball. Volleyball became her primary passion, eventually earning her a spot on the UP varsity roster through standard tryouts. But when the COVID-19 pandemic suspended contact sports, her athletic career ground to a halt. The realization hit that volleyball was no longer her path, she says, “I realized that the sport wasn’t for me.”

Looking for an individual sport she could practice under strict lockdown restrictions, she rediscovered fencing–a discipline she had briefly tried her hand at at age 11 out of sheer curiosity.
Starting over in a technical sport during a global shutdown required more than passing interest. It demanded methodical discipline. “If I’m going to start the sport, then I have to aim for something,” she adds, “So, I started setting goals as soon as I started fencing. My first goal was to make it to the UP fencing team.”&nbsp;
She didn’t just make the team. She dominated the collegiate circuit. Balancing standard academic life–even eventually graduating cum laude–she captured two consecutive UAAP gold medals. Yet, moving from collegiate dominance to the national stage proved to be a sobering reality check.

To call the leap from school varsity to national team athlete an “ultimate hurdle” would be an understatement. For four consecutive years, Juliana struggled to make the cut. “To get into the national team, you have to make the top four every time,” she explains. “I always came fifth. I came in fifth for four years.”
That four-year plateau forced a shift from pure physical conditioning to mental fortitude. Comparison became her biggest barrier on the fencing strip. “Obviously, you benchmark yourself against people you want to beat.”
When she finally broke through that fifth-place barrier to earn her slot on the Philippine National Team roster, the stakes changed completely. Bringing home a bronze medal in the team épée event at the 2025 Southeast Asian Games was a milestone, but hitting the podium was a bittersweet entry into international play. “I did my best, but that really was not my finest moment,” she admits. “Of course, I wanted more from it.”

That hunger is what drives her current push toward the Asian Games. For Juliana, representing the Philippines has transformed fencing from a personal goal into a larger duty—one rooted in pride for the caliber of local talent.
“There’s this deep sense of responsibility because you’re not just representing yourself or your school anymore. You’re representing a whole country,” she emphasizes. “I need to show the best of Philippine fencing. I have to show them that our country is competitive and that our local talent is enough.”
While internal competitiveness can be a double-edged sword, Juliana grounds herself in knowing that every loss and win, and every grueling training session builds the athlete she wants to become and will embody. Hard work remains the only currency that matters on the piste.
“The new challenge for me is knowing, in myself, that I should be here because I’m strong enough to compete amongst the best in Southeast Asia and in Asia,” she concludes, “But really, it’s just to make the most out of this life that I’m given.”

MAKEUP Zidjian Paul
HAIR Patty Cristobal
STYLING ASSISTANT Jeron Ellana
INTERN&nbsp;Pauleen Yap
PHOTOGRAPHER'S ASSISTANTS PJ Salazar and William Calado&nbsp;

Game Face: Juliana Gomez

Recommended posts for you

Culture

Game Face: Juliana Gomez

Fashion

Fashion Editorial: Tactile Defense

Fashion

Which Character Are You Today? Style Your Look with UNIQLO and JW ANDERSON F/W 2026

Beauty

Diptyque Imagines an Enchanted Forest for the Holidays

Hommes

The Men’s Fall/Winter 2026 Grooming Trends Embrace Individuality and Imperfection

Fashion

Ferragamo Celebrates the Joy of Loving and the Legacy of Generations

Hommes

Gemini Norawit Is Now Bang & Olufsen's Friend of the Brand

Culture

Inside RIMOWA’s Swanky Seoul Party for Its Newest Colors Umber and Ultramarine