What a time to be alive and witness Philippine history unfold at the 2024 Olympics. 

At age 24, Carlos Yulo has not one, but two Olympic gold medals under his belt.  He is a two-time Olympic champion; a six-time world championship medalist, winning two golds, two silvers, and two bronzes. Apart from this, he is a ten-time Asian champion; and a nine-time SEA Games champion. There’s also the fact that he won these in back-to-back competitions, surprising the country — and the world. It seems like a story straight out of a fairytale, and in a way, it is, because how many people get to live their childhood dreams of being an astronaut, a movie star, or an olympian? 

Watching Yulo’s breathtaking routine on the podium is a visual masterpiece, showcasing his strength, mastery of technique, grace, and precision. 

The Makings of Greatness 

Behind his seemingly effortless leaps, sky high jumps, and precise turns, are years of consistent thorough training and competitions. He was trained and guided for several years by Japanese coach Munehiro “Mune” Kugimiya. After parting ways, he reunited with Aldrin Castañeda who coached him throughout his 2024 Olympic journey. Castañeda also coached Yulo during his junior competitions further back. 

Yulo did not always win or get the podium finish he wanted, but as they say, rising again (in his case leaping) again, is what makes a champion, a champion. His victory on the floor and vault came with a price, and Carlos was able to give the sacrifice, commitment, needed to take his talent to the top of the podium.  

At the young age of 7, Yulo started training at the Gymnastics Association of the Philippines after his grandfather, Rodrigo Frisco, saw him tumbling at a playground. At age 12, while watching the London Olympics, Carlos realized he wanted to be an Olympian. In 2016, Carlos accepted an offer from the Japan Olympic Association to train in Japan under a scholarship program. By 2019, he had won gold at the Melbourne World Cup on the floor exercise by 0.066 points. Then came the 2020 Tokyo Olympics where he set his eyes on the gold, but landed in fourth. 

In one interview, Yulo shares crying for two hours after the competition, thinking of what could have been. However, he did not let his experience break him. In fact, this experience somehow provided an avenue for correct mindset and the training he needed to reach the feat that he has won for the Philippines and himself today.

Rising Like a Champion

Yulo shares what he learned from the Olympics: “I learned a lot from my experience at the [Tokyo] Olympics. I realized that your greatest opponent is yourself. If you don’t focus on what you do, you are bound to finish last. I try to correct the mistakes that I made in my mind so I will not commit them again.”

His mindset undeterred surely reflected results. Months after the Tokyo Games, Yulo competed at the World Championships in Kitakyushu, Japan, and won gold on vault and silver on the parallel bars.

This disposition continued. Fast forward to 2024, in a feature of One Sports, Carlos described his one-month training as brutal, holistically tackling his mental and physical strength, as well as his technique. 

The rest, as they say, led to that golden moment (or moments) that the world will remember.

Yulo has brought pride to the Philippines as well as hope for many around the globe. His  journey is in fact, that of a true champion, who had the humility and drive to try again when the odds were against him.

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