There’s no stopping Cobra Ironman Matteo Guidicelli
‘It is not your typical teleserye. We feature real-life scenarios. Single/Single is very cool, very now,’ Cobra Ironman Matteo Guidicelli shares on his upcoming project with Philstar TV, which premieres on Aug. 29 on Cinema One.
I t’s the weekend of the Cobra Ironman 70.3 competition in Cebu, and as I promised Matteo Guidicelli, I’d keep tabs on his performance. A cursory scroll through his Instagram account (@matteoguidicelli with profile bio “What’s life without a smile”) would show you a sunny chap in his midtwenties in athletic gear fixing his bike for the competition.
Matteo Guidicelli — car racer, showbiz personality, and now, triathlete —- looks like the real deal. He arrives early for the interview solo, with no showbiz entourage in tow. He’s freshly showered in a clean white shirt and mirrorized sunglasses. The café staff does not recognize him and we had to wave him over to our spot as we make introductions.
He is approachable and gabby, pleasant and polite, easy on the eyes and easy to warm up to. He talks freely about the things that excite him: his family, his showbiz career, his girlfriend, his plans for the future.
He talks fondly about his family and how it’s shaped him into the individual, the sportsman he is now. His Italian dad got him into car racing at an early age, and then to triathlon in his early adult years in between his showbiz commitments. His Cebuano mom remains supportive of his different endeavors. Even his younger sister (who has a degree in Nutrition and advises him in his diet) and brother (who is eight and is set to join Iron Kids this year) are also into his sport of choice.
Matteo is clearly a man ruled by his passions. He’s gone from athlete to actor, from theater to triathlon. From the car racing circuit, Matteo studied theater arts in the U.S. before finally deciding to get himself into show business full-time, full throttle.
I tell Matteo he has a lot on his plate now: there is a recording album slated for release end of August, an action indie film titled Tupang
Ligaw that is out later this year, and his ongoing endorsement of Cobra Energy drink which falls right in sync with his triathlete aspirations.
He also does hosting duties for PhilStar TV, describing his stint to be “a really great experience.” His car racing background comes in more than handy for Wheels TV, PhilStar TV’s motoring show. Proof he’s enjoying being in front of the cam and behind the steering wheel is he’s in full gear for the show’s second season.
Another plum project with PhilStar TV he’s excited with is
Single/Single, a modern rom-com that is set to air this month. It is helmed by Pepe Diokno and takes on a fresh, modern storytelling approach on the millennial life.
Matteo shares this of the 13-episode TV series which he costars with Shaina Magdayao: “It is not your typical teleserye. We feature real life scenarios. Single/Single is very cool, very now.”
Imagine my surprise then when he breaks the news he isn’t exactly ready for the competition this year. He declares he hasn’t trained as much as he’d like to for the upcoming Cobra Ironman 70.3 triathlon in Cebu last weekend. He had originally planned a month-long training bloc with a professional coach but wasn’t able to due to: two recent trips abroad for showbiz commitments, the rigors of taping a teleserye currently airing on TV and him nursing an injured knee.
Matteo shares that competing in a “triathlon is 90 percent mental, 10 percent physical. It is about “converting one’s mindset towards the positive.” He further states that this year, his “goal is to break five hours,” considering he hasn’t had the kind of focused training he’d originally set for himself. His first triathlon in Hawaii in 2013 saw him finish at six hours. His subsequent performances for two Cebu competitions resulted to 5.3- and 5.2hour finishes. His last competition in Subic gave him a 5.15-hour finish.
He candidly says that joining a triathlon is “an emotional experience,” that one “needs the right mindset and should have a positive outlook” to make it through the race, and that in the end, “it is mind over matter.”
Triathlon, with its grueling trifecta of swim + bike + run segments, can wear down any seasoned athlete, but for Matteo it is about “ordinary people doing extraordinary things.” He stresses this is why “Cobra Energy Drink’s mantra “Gusto Ko Pa” basically translates to “I want more” or “go further.”
He shares for those in pursuit of life goals, “Whatever you do, put your mind and heart to it. With your mind, passion and soul, you can do it. Gusto ko pa. Decide and you’re done already.”
As the weekend drew to a close, I go through my social media feeds to check on reports of Cebu’s Cobra Ironman 70.3 competition. I am greeted by news that Matteo finished fifth in the male 18-24 age group.
I check his Instagram feed to see his posts. In one snapshot of him running, he echoes something he already shared with us: “I was physically unprepared but I had to be mentally ready to finish the race. Not my best race but definitely the best finish ever.”
Another post shows him beaming with a big smile in the same mirrorized sunnies he was wearing when I met him and the familiar yellow motif of Cobra Ironman 70.3 all over his competition singlet that said “I ran the extra mile.”
As I close the app, I see the promo poster of Cobra Energy Drink which simply stated “Winners don’t stop at the finish line.” I realize how true, how reflective this is of Matteo. And then I hit like.