OF TREES AND FOREST

The story of Carlos Yulo is the story of the Filipinos. Despite unimaginable challenges, painful defeats, and countless hardships, Caloy made the country proud by winning not one, but two Olympic gold medals. After Hidilyn ended the Philippines’ 97-year Olympic gold-medal drought in the Tokyo Olympics, Caloy made history as he defeated the best gymnasts in the world. He won back to back gold medals in the men’s floor exercise and vault in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Just like the millions of Filipinos who watched the televised performance of our athletes in Paris, I was also a fan who eagerly and nervously followed the exploits of our sports ambassadors. If I was unable to catch the live telecast I make sure to catch their performances on YouTube. It is simply amazing to see our kababayan athletes perform on the world stage. Even those who failed to qualify, you really see the determination in their eyes; the will to make the country proud is ever so present in the way they try their best in their particular event. That alone deserves our praise and appreciation.

But Yulo’s performance in artistic gymnastics was particularly amazing. In the men’s vaults and floor exercise, his explosive somersaults, the exceptional height that he reaches, as well as the extreme difficulty of his routines. This comes from his diminutive 4 feet 11 inches frame, but it is his boyish charm, humble disposition and big heart that have captured the imagination of all Filipinos and even the world. 

Just like the story of the Filipino, Caloy endured hardships and soul-crushing defeats before he reached the Mount Olympus of his sport. In the floor exercise at the Tokyo Olympics, he didn’t even make the final eight to challenge for an Olympic medal. In the men’s vault, he only finished fourth which meant that he came away from the games without any medal despite successes in previous championships. In 2018, Yulo became the first Filipino to win a medal at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Doha, Qatar. He also won gold on vault and silver on parallel bars at the World Championships in Kitakyushu, Japan.

But his failure to land any medals at the Tokyo Olympics amid high expectations was what motivated him to move heaven and earth in terms of preparing for Paris. He was quoted as saying: “It’s all about standing up after that fall. To not give up on what you love, to search for ways to improve and to not lose to yourself in everyday training. I mean this is definitely not easy but this is my life.”

It is this dedication and his refusal to cower in the face of failures that made his success amazing and heroic. Carlos Yulo is the very epitome of hard work and perseverance. He would not let mistakes derail his dreams. He refused to bow down to past disappointments. Instead, he worked very hard, persisted in order to achieve his aspirations and lift the spirits of a nation.

We still have Filipino athletes who have excellent chances to win medals for the country. I am sure that the victory of Yulo will inspire them. I hope they know that the entire nation is behind them all the way. I also hope that Yulo’s victory will inspire a new generation of young Filipino athletes who can potentially be future gold medal winners in international competition.

As a nation, it has been noted by scholars that we love to beat ourselves to death. We are our worst critics. We constantly blame ourselves and blame each other. The derogatory phrase “only in the Philippines” is the perfect example of this defeatist attitude. But once in awhile, a hard working, persevering Filipino emerges and shows us that we are capable of doing great things. I hope this euphoria from Yulo’s two golds will not be short lived and that it becomes a lasting inspiration for all of us to believe that yes, the Filipino can. (Email: [email protected] and/or http://www.mannyvillar.com)