Yulo’s double Olympic gold : a risky triumph of love over career

As euphoria eases over his historic double gold medal win at the Paris Olympics, reports are coming out now on the tremendous personal pressure from former coach and family, our Golden Boy was facing during the all-around competition up to the floor exercises and vault.

I remember expert commentators repeatedly saying Yulo was still trying to find his championship form after his celebrated break from his Japanese coach Munehiro Kugimiya and the KG Management Inc. in June last year.   Campaigning without a coach and seemingly lost, Yulo then finished 52^nd, in what would be his worst performance of  his career at the FIG Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Antwerp, Belgium. Reports say, his former Japanese mentor agreed to take him back, but Yulo did not oblige.  Instead, he moved back to the Philippines with his former Filipino coach Allen Aldrin Castaneda, and with a renewed focus qualified for this year’s Paris Olympics. 

The reason for the fallout between Yulo and his Japanese coach was girlfriend Chloe San Jose, a Filipina content creator based in Australia whom he met in Tokyo, Japan in 2020.  First it was a long-distance relationship, but problem started when San Jose wanted to spend more time with Yulo in Japan.  Published reports then quoted that “tensions heightened to such an extent that Yulo had a fallout with Kugimiya for interfering in his personal life”. At the Asian championships in June 2023, Yulo dropped his Japanese coach and settled with his girlfriend in the Philippines. This angered Kugimiya but also made Yulo’s parents angry because they wanted him to stay in Japan. Yulo, in his earlier interviews, insists that his relationship is outside of gymnastics. But it gave him a better well-being, and better mindset.   “Even if I fail, win or lose, I’m still grateful”.. “My partner taught me to grow”, he said. 

So, emotions were raging at the Paris Olympics as Yulo was participating now without his famous and renowned Japanese coach, but still supported with an all-reliable Filipino coach Allen Aldrin Castaneda.  And when Yulo stepped into that all-around event, all eyes were on him, as he stumbled and dropped to 24^th position, Commentators were quick to ask, is this another worst performance? But he found his bearings, surged to finish 12^th and qualify for the medal rounds. 

And the rest is history. Carlos Yulo and his girlfriend Chloe proved correct. 

2x Philippine National Anthem in 2024 Paris Olympics gave all of us goosebumps

Never in my wildest dream that I would be witnessing in this lifetime, our very own Lupang Hinirang played proudly at both awards ceremonies for Golden Boy Carlos Yulo. Thanks to this true blue Batang Leveriza, and one of the boys who started his playing ways inside the Paraiso ng Batang Maynila near Rizal memorial coliseum. Born in the year of the 2000 millenium, this 24-year-old boy, has changed the country’s history of sports. Long before dominated by the more popular and much taller basketball and volleyball players, Yulo and another Olympic gold winner Hidylyn Diaz showed us that height is not always might for Filipinos.

It’s time for bright boys in Sports to face the truth. We should only send athletes who have better chances of winning medals in Olympics and Asian Games events. I also hope that the Philippine government and private sponsors remain true to their word on providing incentives to winning athletes in international events. We’ve lost International Grandmaster Wesley So, this way, when he was not given his incentive for winning the Universiade games many years ago.  How many medal winners in the Southeast Asian Games, Asian competitions were not paid by their sponsors despite heavy publicity? Onyok Velasco was of those victims. At the turn of the century, everybody changed for the better, athletes, their NSAs.  the government, private sponsors and other sectors. 

In today’s era of countless pledges and press releases, a lot of moneyed people are sharing their bounties, and we expect them all to deliver their promises. Every Olympic Gold medal winner will win P10M from the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), plus a house and lot. Another P10M each from PLDT mogul Manny V. Pangilinan and SMC President Ramon Ang. Three Million pesos from the House of Representatives and another Three million pesos from Chooks to Go.

For the Olympic gold medal winner, Megaworld promised a fully furnished luxury condo from its park Mackinley west in BGC worth P24M pesos.  However, with Yulo winning two golds, this was upgraded to a 3-bedroom luxury condo again worth P 32M plus cash gift of P 3M pesos. 

With pole vaulter EJ Obiena and boxers Armi Villegas and Nesthy Petecio in contention for a possible gold win, this Megworld offer is really something that will create more Yulos, Diaz and other world class athletes soon. Let’s hope that all three will get their gold medals and their condominiums this week.

Perhaps, the country should thank two of our biggest sports patrons of the country who are leading the way towards our Olympic bound athletes. First is Businessman MPIC chair Manny V. Pangilinan and San Miguel Corporation Ramon Ang. MVP has been backing Carlos Yulo since 2017 and even established a Gymnastics center for him. 

RSA in turn predicted that our 100th year participation in the Olympics will see another possible breakthrough.  Just as Gilas won Asian games basketball gold after 60 years, more Filipino athletes, he said, will aspire for gold medals in the Paris Olympics.

These are very interesting and happiest sports time for the country. We are also looking forward to the wins of Obiena, Petecio, and Villegas.  We are rooting for all of them. And of course, Thank you Carlos Yulo. You are an inspiration to our youth including the older generation.