That is exactly the case, however, for Gabe and Max Manalang, twin brothers from St. Louis. The 21-year-old athletic duo have long competed side by side with each other growing up, especially in the pole vault.

The twins made their first trip to New Ulm to compete in their fourth Turnfest this week and competed in several track and field events on Friday at the New Ulm Middle School, such as the long jump, the 100-meter dash, the 4×100-meter relay and the shot put.

The twins also have a younger brother that has been competing with them in Turnfest events so far in Ollie Manalang. Ollie Manalang, 15, competed with his brothers in the 4×100 relay, with their team finishing second in a photo finish.

Despite the size and age difference between Ollie Manalang and his older brothers, Max Manalang said many people think the three are triplets.

Staff photo by Travis Rosenau Gabe Manalang competes in the standing long jump as his twin brother Max Manalang, right, looks on during Turnfest’s men’s track and field event Friday at the New Ulm Middle School.

“Everyone thinks we’re triplets by now,” Max Manalang said. “But [Ollie’s] getting the spotlight, too.”

Before getting to New Ulm for Turnfest, Gabe Manalang wasn’t sure what to think when he heard New Ulm was a “small town.” But he said he’s enjoyed the town so far and the Turnfest activities.

“It’s been awesome,” Gabe Manalang said. “When I first arrived in New Ulm, I was presently surprised. It’s a nice town. Someone said it was a small town and when I imagine a small town, you think it’s one main road. But I was surprised, it seems like a really nice community.”

Max Manalang echoed his twin brother’s thoughts on New Ulm.

“It’s been great,” Max Manalang said. “New Ulm is beautiful. I definitely was not expecting how nice it was going to be here. It’s a very great place. They’ve treated us with a lot of kindness and a lot of generosity, so I’m very grateful. I think this is the first Turnfest where me and my brother, Gabe, just turned 21. So a big part of it also is having fun, drinking with the adults. It’s been great, I’ve enjoyed it.”

Max Manalang admitted to not being aware of Schell’s Brewery, however, but after hearing about it, he said he was definitely interested in checking it out if time allowed. He also said he’s a big fan of root beer, so a 1919 might be calling his name.

While Max Manalang may be able to one-up his younger brother in certain events, he hasn’t had as much luck against his twin. In the long jump, Max Manalang was first up and finished with a top jump of 5.31 meters. After that, Gabe Manalang bested him with a jump of 5.33 meters.

“This is a common theme, he’s barely beating me in everything, it’s getting annoying [laughs],” Max Manalang said. “I got to jump first and his last jump he got .02 higher than me. We’re always going back and forth.”

After track and field, the brothers went to the New Ulm Recreation Center for gymnastics.

This track and field event was reserved for men and boys age 7 to 29, and each age group had their own groups and pairings.

Turnfest concludes on Saturday with swimming, volleyball and a 6 p.m. awards banquet at Turner Hall.