Cebu teacher recalls time with Fil-Brit Olympian Jake Jarman

Ms. Anne Gallo Sim, a preschool teacher in Cebu, with Jake Jarman during his preschool years.

CEBU CITY, Philippines —Did you know that Filipino-British Olympian Jake Jarman attended preschool in Cebu City in 2006?

Jake Jarman is a British gymnast who won a bronze medal in the gymnastics floor exercise at the Paris Olympics on Saturday, August 3, 2024.

He is half Filipino, as his mother is from Cebu.

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Anne Gallo Sim, now a 42-year-old teacher at a private preschool center in Barangay Lahug, Cebu City, said Jarman spent some of his preschool years in Cebu.

She shared with CDN Digital some of her memories of little Jake Jarman, whom she described as a very sweet kid.

Jake Jarman: Preschool in Cebu

Ms. Anne, a Guimaras-born teacher, shared that she taught the younger Jake in 2006 when she was teaching in a sister prep school of her current preschool center.

Unfortunately, she mentioned that Jake attended the class for a short while, as his family needed to return to his father’s home country.

“Jake was a kinesthetic learner,” Ms. Sim said. “He loved playing games in class and running around with his classmates. He was full of energy and seemed to never get tired of being busy and physically active.”

The teacher also shared a moment she will never forget with Jake, when she tried to sit down and study with him during individualized instruction time.

“Once he was able to channel his energy and was very interested in the topic, he was able to listen and follow,” she said. “Jake was such a lovable kid to have in class.”

Ms. Anne expressed her happiness and pride for Jarman in a social media post.

“Jake was such a lovable student in my class, always curious, smiling and having a happy disposition,” she fondly recalled.

Jake Jarman, the gymnast

At the World Championships, Jarman won a gold medal in Men’s Vault in 2023 and a bronze medal in Men’s Team in 2022.

He has also won multiple gold medals in the European Championships and the Commonwealth Games.

Jarman scored 14.933 points on his Paris Olympics routine to finish third behind Carlos Yulo of the Philippines and Artem Dolgopyat of Israel, respectively.