Calawod shares secret to Yulo’s success

Carlos Yulo’s mental fortitude paid dividends after winning his two gold medals in the men’s floor exercise and vault in the Paris Olympics and his occupational therapist Hazel Calawod swears the transformation proved to be a gamechanger.

Calawod, who earned her Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy at the University of the Philippines — Manila, said she started delving on the 24-year-old gymnast’s mental aspect when they were training in South Korea early this year.

“It first started at the Korea training camp because he mentioned that he needed more mental work. So I am doing workshops on mental toughness with him, discussing the sports psychological skills from a scientific perspective,” Calawod said.

“This is so that he will know how he can do better as an Olympian.”

Yulo’s maturity in Paris was a far cry from his first Summer Games stint in Tokyo back in 2021.

In Tokyo, where he was expected to dominate after living there for the majority of his career, he fumbled and looked inconsolable after a botched performance in the individual all-around.

However in Paris, something as subtle as shrugging off a failed performance in the pommel horse during the individual all-around event showed he won’t let any mistakes cost him his chance at redemption.

The rest, as they say, is history.

The 35-year-old therapist lauded Yulo’s dedication to his craft, something that was a key part of his success.

“He’s really dedicated to it. He absorbs the lessons fast and whenever I give him instructions, he will concentrate and do it the best that he can,” Calawod said.