THE PARTY’S NOT OVER YET

Carlos Yulo never thought his two-gold performance in the Paris Olympics would create quite an impact in the lives of the Filipinos.

“Until now, I’m still overwhelmed with everything. I never knew I would have this much impact on the Filipinos,” said Yulo, who won golds in the floor exercise and vault events.

Swearing that all he wanted was to make the final, win a medal and rest, Yulo admitted “that’s not what I expected when we got home.”

‘I’m honored and blessed to experience this,” the 24-year-old from Leveriza, Manila said during a thanksgiving affair held at the Adidas store in Bonifacio Global City in Taguig City on Monday.

Also in attendance during the event were bronze medalists Nesthy Petecio and Aira Villegas, boxer Eumier Marcial, rower Joanie Delgaco, fencer Samantha Catantan, weightlifter Elreen Ando.

The two-time world champion admitted his success came at the cost of not having a regular childhood as his top priority was training.

“I dedicated a lot of time to my dream. I would train constantly,” Yulo said.

Yulo has definitely come a long way after his hard work paid off big time.

A month has passed since his triumph in Paris and yet, “Yulo Fever” is still as hot as ever with guestings from television shows in the country making up his daily schedule.

His Olympic breakthrough has made Yulo wealthy following the countless cash rewards given to him not just by the government but by the private sector as well.

Apart from the money, Yulo also got a posh condominium unit and houses in Tagaytay and Batangas as well as free flights and unlimited restaurant visits.

But don’t expect him to just rest on his laurels completely despite being hailed by many as the greatest Filipino Olympian ever.

While he won’t be competing for the remainder of 2024, Yulo vows to remain competitive as he sets his sights on several international training camps and competitions in 2025.

On tap next year will be the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Jakarta from 19 to 25 October while the 33rd Southeast Asian Games will take place in Thailand from 9 to 20 December.

“The values I got in training are still with me until this day. The dedication and hunger to level up remains along with being kind to myself and to the people I inspire,” Yulo said.

“My relationship with my fellow gymnasts became deeper along with my coaches. I’m excited to start my training camps.”