Carlos Yulo didn’t just overcome an elite cast of gymnasts on his way to a historic gold medal for the Philippines in the men’s all-around event of the Paris Olympics late Saturday at the Bercy Arena in the French capital.
He also had to survive a chaotic turn of events that had been quietly simmering underneath for the past couple of years leading to the biggest and most prestigious athletic conclave in the world.
A prominent insider in the local gymnastics community reached out to DAILY TRIBUNE at high noon on Sunday, lauding Yulo for his golden feat that he achieved despite being bothered by quite a number of personal and professional issues.
The source, for one, admitted that Yulo has been at odds with his family for more than a year, making it harder to stay focused on his buildup for the Summer Games.
But the cause of their feud wasn’t about money, contrary to speculations that surfaced on social media on Sunday morning.
“Contrary to what they say in social media, it wasn’t about money. Money wasn’t the reason behind the family feud that has already been an open secret to all of us in the gymnastics community,” the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue.
“It was a personal problem — a family problem — in fact.”
The source begged off from revealing further details in deference to the Yulo family, but stressed that his parents — Angelica and Andrew — love their son so much that they were overflowing with pride seeing him win the country’s second Olympic gold medal that came exactly 100 years since the Filipinos started participating in the Games.
Using routines that he knew by heart and by mind, Yulo dazzled the judges en route to posting an impressive 15.000 points while reigning world champion Artem Dolgopyat of Israel settled for the silver medal with 14.966 points and Filipino-British Jake Jarman secured bronze with 14.933 points.
Yulo said he went all out in the finals using the routines that he practiced during the long course of his gymnastics career.
“I actually adjusted my D-Score (difficulty score) in the qualification to qualify safely because it was (an) all-around (event),” Yulo said shortly after being crowned as the king of floor exercise of the Summer Games.
“But on the actual final, I just went for it. I did not hesitate and, I don’t know, I kinda did it today. I’m really grateful.”
Coach-less Caloy
The source said Yulo really worked hard to set the stage for his crowning moment.
In fact, since splitting with his longtime coach in Japanese Munehiro Kugimiya in September last year, Yulo had been campaigning without an actual coach.
Although he was being helped by Aldrin Castañeda — his coach during his junior days — he is still the one calling the shots, making sure that the program of his former Japanese mentor is being executed to the letter.
“You really have to admire Caloy because he was on his own since he parted ways with Coach Mune (Kugimiya),” the source said.
“Caloy, however, was still using the program given to him by Coach Mune. He will just ask Coach Aldrin or anybody from the federation to criticize or check if he’s doing it right. But for the most part of his Olympic buildup, he was on his own, and it’s something that we truly admire.”
“You can see the mental toughness of this boy. Remember that he has been in training and studying in Japan since he was 14 or 15 years old so he’s really independent. He knows what he wants and he knows how to get it.”
Without Kugimiya, Yulo trained with various national teams, including that of Great Britain and South Korea before reuniting with Castañeda to apply finishing touches on his buildup.
“I’m grateful for the people who really supported me,” said Yulo, who spent the last few weeks of his training in Metz, France.
“I could not do it without them.”
Last hurrah?
Although there’s no formal announcement yet, the source revealed that the Paris Games could be Yulo’s last.
After all, Yulo is no longer getting any younger, at least by gymnastics standards, as he will be 28 years old by the time the Los Angeles Olympics unfold in 2028.
“From what I’ve heard, this could be the last,” the source added.
“In gymnastics, the peak age is from 22 to 25 years old. Caloy is at his peak right now. If he competes again in LA, he will be 28 years old by then. His body may no longer respond to the demands and challenges of the sport.”
The source said Yulo could have won a gold medal in the previous Summer Games in Tokyo. But fate had a cruel script as he tripped on his first tumbling pass that sent him bombing out of the finals of the floor exercise apparatus.
“He was at his best in Tokyo. We were all expecting that he would dominate it. After all, Japan was his ‘home court’ back then,” the insider said.
“But he fell down in his first take and he failed to reach the finals. It’s okay. He still had Paris to win the gold medal — and he did it.”
The source said should Yulo decide to give the Olympics one more try, he may limit his events to apparatus.
“He may compete as a ‘specialist’ in certain apparatus like floor exercise or vault,” the source added, stressing that the presence of sports psychologist Hazel Lyn Calawod greatly contributed to Yulo’s calm and gentle approach in the Paris Games.
“But let’s see. At the end of the day it’s his decision to make.”
Yulo is looking to make it a golden double as he is still competing in vault apparatus at press time.
Should he nail it, he will go down in history as the only Filipino athlete able to win multiple gold medals in the same edition of the Olympics.
But whatever happens — whether he goes home with one or two gold medals — his parents are very proud and they will be the first to give him a warm embrace the moment he arrives.
After all, victory always leads to peace and reconciliation.