ENDEAVOR
In the afterglow of Carlos Yulo’s golden triumph, we join millions of proud Filipinos relishing this proud moment for our country.
The morning after Yulo won his second gold medal in the Paris Olympics, my daughter told her son, “It took your lolo 68 years to witness a Filipino win an Olympic gold medal. You’re only six years old and you watched a Filipino win gold medals two nights in a row.” She was, of course, reminiscing, too, Hidilyn Diaz’s breakthrough gold medal achievement in the Covid-affected Tokyo Olympics.
Flashback to more than six decades ago: As an 11 year-old kid, I watched Anthony Villanueva win the Philippines’ first Olympic silver medal at the 1964 Tokyo games. His father Jose Luis, who was also his trainer, won a bronze medal as a boxer in the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics.
An avalanche of Caloy Yulo posts now populate Facebook, Instagram and other social media platforms.
Caloy is shown with his girlfriend Chloe San Jose and her family, being blessed by a priest in the Padre Pio Shrine in Sto. Tomas, Batangas, presumably before he went to the Paris games. “All God, all God!” were among his first words, while pointing his index fingers upward, after winning his second gold medal.
Interviewed by Diane Castillejo on the TV Patrol newscast, he recalled how he became so energized after winning his first gold. He could not sleep well; he had to take several naps in the run-up to competing anew the following day in the vault event.
As in the floor exercise event in which he bagged his first gold, Caloy had won the world championship in the vault in 2021. Yet, he remained focused on doing his best. Millions of Filipinos watching on television and smart devices would recall his serene and composed demeanor when he achieved his double-gold feat.
Within hours, another spectacle was unraveling on Facebook and other social media platforms. From the proverbial left field, or blindside, his mother, Angelica, made an FB post in which she hailed the victory of the Japanese gymnast in the all-around event. Her son Caloy struggled to finish 12th among 24 competitors after failing to land safely in the pommel phase. Then it came to light that she and Caloy had a falling out on two issues: personal finance and girlfriend.
The new Olympic double-gold champion was quick to the draw. As reported by Manila Bulletin, Caloy released an eight-minute Tiktok video in which he appeared with his girlfriend Chloe in the background:
“Amid the euphoria of his double victory in Paris, Carlos Yulo finally broke his silence and clarified the issues between him, his girlfriend Chloe San Jose, and the gymnast's mother Angelica which have earned divided opinions among netizens. Carlos also defended his girlfriend, who was raised in Australia and "had a different culture," which, he said, did not fit well with his mother's preference.”
Caloy recounted that when he came come from Japan, he found out that his mother had received his allowances “amounting to six figures” but had not told him about this. Observably, he is a level-headed, well-disciplined individual who would not wish to put his mother or his family in a bad light.
His Japanese coach Munehiro Kugimiya, whose mentorship Caloy had acknowledged, witnessed his feat from the gallery of the Paris stadium. Interviewed by Rappler, he recalled being introduced to 13-year old Caloy who began training with him in Japan three years later. From close range, he empathized with Caloy’s struggles; in fact, he recalls giving Caloy a ticket for a return flight home. But Caloy worked hard and persevered, determined to win an Olympic gold medal.
Caloy trained under Kugimiya until 2023. Along the way, he reached the top tier of artistic gymnastics, winning world championships in the floor and vault events in 2019 and 2021. Despite a so-so performance in the Tokyo Olympics, he remained intensely committed to achieve his golden dreams. He said he and Caloy had a pact: After winning Olympic gold medals, he would “bring our gold medals to greet all those who have helped us,” including the following institutions: “Teikyo Senior High School, Oizumi Swallow Taiiku club, Tsukahara Gymnastics Center, Tokushukai Gymnastics Club, Japan Gymnastics Association, Teikyo University, and the Japan Embassy.”
“I hope that Carlos will grow into a person of character who will support future Filipino children and build an equal sports society” — this is coach Kugimiya’s fondest wish for his erstwhile ward.
A young gymnast’s mother, let’s call her Gigi S. (not her real name), shared with us her thoughts on the way forward to being able to develop more outstanding gymnasts: “As much as we want to develop grassroots athletes, we lack trained coaches and judges in national competitions.” She lamented: “In the last Palarong Pambansa, the gymnasts competed on puzzle mats — which made them prone to injuries. Those who have access to good equipment come from affluent families. Not all have ambitions to compete in the Olympics.”
She observes further: “Medal incentives vary from city to city. Naturally, better athletes seek the proverbial greener pastures where they are actively supported by local government units (LGUs). Talents abound in schools, but gymnastics does not receive institutional support — unlike cheerleading — where high potential talents have chosen to perform, as they get ample incentives.” Indeed, in the collegiate sphere, both the UAAP and the NCAA have elevated the stature of cheerdance competition, by carving it out as a separate marquee event, and drawing capacity crowds.
I did a quick internet search on the cost of setting up a small- to medium-sized gymnastic training center and the minimum cost estimate is $85,500, or just under ₱5 million. This is certainly within the reach and grasp of our more progressive LGUs, who could partner with the leading schools in making this possible.
Indeed, as demonstrated by Caloy Yulo, gymnastics is an Olympic event in which Filipinos are capable of excelling and stamping their world-class capability.