MEDIUM RARE

The universe has a message for golden boy Carlos Yulo: “Soar, Caloy!”

Those two words are spelled with letters found in Caloy’s name. According to the ancient art of anagram, every person’s name, whether they know it or not, contains a secret or secrets pertinent to their life. Soar, Carlos! Soar, Caloy!

The 24-year-old winner of two gold medals in the 2024 Olympics in Paris not only soars, he twists and twirls, tumbles, defying gravity before landing on both feet with grace and with grit. When he comes back to earth it’s like a shooting star has landed – what a landing! The way he executes a “tumbling tumbling,” as the kids in his Malate neighborhood call it, appears as if it’s the easiest, most natural thing in the world to do. Now the young ones in Leveriza are tumbling tumbling like crazy as they ape their idol, practicing on the mattresses they have dragged out of their bedrooms and laying them on the street like it was the most natural thing to do and not be scolded for it.

Even Caloy’s younger siblings are determined to follow in his footsteps, all the way to the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028 – wanna bet?
That’s the beauty behind Caloy’s two golds: they inspire and the kids aspire to be like him.

As it happens, Caloy has a nice, pleasant face that seems to be always smiling or ready to break into a smile. As he is not a godlike figure, he doesn’t intimidate. His lack of height makes it easy for children to approach him without a second thought. Watching him tirelessly signing his name in black, on a pile of white T-shirts before throwing them out of a truck, one by one to the crowds cheering him on the streets and sidewalks of Malate, was quite a sight. The glory of two gold medals from the Olympics 2024 hasn’t turned his head.

Another fan, in the person of the President of the Philippines, was inspired into promising to build an “istraktura” – structure – that will give form, funds, and meaning to a real, national sports development and training program. Most reassuring it was, hearing PBBM asking Caloy to tell him what he thinks should be done, right away.