Brightest of them all: Yulo shares top PSA honors with Filipinos

Gymnast Carlos Yulo emerged as the brightest among the constellation of stars that lit up the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Annual Awards Night late Monday at the Centennial Hall of the Manila Hotel.

But instead of hogging the limelight, the soft-spoken gymnast from the poor district of Leveriza in Manila opted to share his victory with the Filipinos who prayed hard until he completed his historic conquest in the Paris Olympics.

“Ang panalo ko ay panalo nating lahat,” said Yulo, who dazzled in black coat and tie over white polo during the blue-ribbon event made special by the presence of Filipino Olympic athletes of yesteryears.

“I thank the Lord for all the blessings and challenges he gave me in my life. For all the struggles, it was worth reaching victory along with my loved ones.”

Joining Yulo in the event where he was named as the PSA Athlete of the Year for 2024 were Gymnastics Association of the Philippines (GAP) president Cynthia Carrion, GAP secretary general Rowena Bautista, national team coach Aldrin Castañeda and his girlfriend, Chloe San Jose.

“To my team, my beautiful partner Chloe, thank you so much for taking care of my mental health. Ma’am Cynthia for trusting and being the first to believe in me,” said Yulo, who is the first Filipino gymnast to win the honor since Pia Adelle Reyes clinched it in 1997.

“To my fellow Olympians I’d been with at the training camp, you really gave me a great motivation, I understand what you’re going through, and I’m proud of what we’ve achieved.”

The pint-sized gymnast received the award from Philippine Sports Commission chairman Richard “Dickie” Bachmann, Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino, Rep. Mikee Romero, Sen. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go, and PSA president Nelson Beltran.

Yulo’s rise to the top of the sporting world is nothing short of excellent.

From tumbling in the streets of Leveriza, Yulo’s talents were discovered by GAP, thanks to his grandfather Rodrigo Frisco and competed in grassroots competitions such as the Palarong Pambansa and Batang Pinoy.

In 2017, Yulo’s career skyrocketed thanks to the efforts of his Japanese coach Munehiro Kugimiya, who trained the soft-spoken gymnast for six years.

In the 2024 Paris Olympics, despite parting ways with Kugimiya, Yulo did the impossible and won two gold medals after ruling the floor exercise and vault apparatuses to achieve a feat no Filipino athlete had ever done before.

Indeed, Yulo’s victory wasn’t just his own as GAP was also honored with the National Sport Association of the Year in this prestigious event.

Carrion said GAP’s organized structure helped their cause as they sent four gymnasts to the Summer Games.

Filipino-American gymnasts Aleah Finnegan, Emma Malabuyo, and Levi Ruivivar accompanied Yulo in the French capital as GAP sent its biggest Olympic delegation of four athletes, tying the number of delegates it deployed in the 1964 Summer Games in Tokyo.

“I am so happy to be part of it. After two gold medals, I think it is about time (to win the NSA of the Year Award),” Carrion said.

“We are a very organized association. This is not the end and we want it to continue.”

Also honored during the PSA Awards were boxers Nesthy Petecio and Aira Villegas, who were given the President’s Award for their bronze medal finishes in the Paris Games.

Tolentino was feted as the Executive of the Year for spearheading the Philippines’ best Olympic medal haul of two golds and two bronze medals.

Weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz, who clinched the gold medal in the Tokyo Games in 2021, was enshrined as the newest member of the PSA Hall of Fame after being named the Athlete of the Year in 2016, 2018, 2021 and 2022.

Other notable awardees were June Mar Fajardo and Kevin Quiambao (Mr. Basketball), Jia de Guzman (Ms. Volleyball), and the MVP Group and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (Special Awards).