Carlos Yulo’s Olympic gold medal dream comes true; vies for second gold in Paris

All Carlos Edriel "Caloy" Yulo ever dreamt of, even as a young gymnast, was to win an Olympic gold medal. On Saturday, August 3, his lifelong dream finally came true after clinching the gold in the individual floor exercise of the men's artistic gymnastics at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

On Sunday night, August 4, he stands a great chance to double the gold for the Philippines when he competes in the men's vault finals. He will compete against Jarman and Harry Hepworth of Great Britain, Nazar Chepurnyi and Igor Radivilov of Ukraine, Aurel Benovic of Croatia, Mahdi Olfati of Iran, and Artur Davtyan of Armenia

The 24-year-old Yulo dominated the men's floor exercise, scoring 15.000, dethroning defending champion Artem Dolgopyat of Israel, who settled for bronze instead with a 14.933. Great Britain's Jake Jarman earned silver with a score of 14.966.

Yulo nailed his triple-twisting dismount in his final tumbling pass, extending his arms triumphantly and roaring to a packed Bercy Arena before stepping off the podium.

(This is the result of everything. I know for myself that the Lord gave it. I deserve this)," he said in an interview with One Sports aired via YouTube after the medal ceremony. Yulo shared that he experienced two sleepless nights before the finals and said it was all worth it.

OVERWHELMED

The diminutive Filipino ace cried tears of joy after realizing he had won the gold after the last gymnast's performance.

"Kaya ko nang i-celebrate ang ganitong panalo. Di ko alam, papaano sya, yung emotions ko. Nalaman kong ako nag gold naiyak na talaga ako. Sobrang di ko akalain na kaya kong ganitong resulta at performance, kaya nagpapasalamat talaga ako sa taas  (I can celebrate this win. I didn't know how to handle my emotions. When I found out I won the gold, I really cried. I really didn't think I could achieve this result and performance, so I'm really grateful to the Lord)," Yulo said.

He added,"Sobrang overwhelming po ang experience na ito sa akin. Grabe wala pong lumalabas kundi pasasalamat sa Diyos na hindi nya ako pinabayaan, walang nangyaring masama sa amin. Matagal kong pinagdasal to, matagal kong pinagtrabahuan to kasama sya (This experience is very overwhelming for me. Nothing comes out but gratitude to God that he didn't abandon me; nothing bad happened to us. I prayed  and worked hard for this together with him)." 

He also thanked his coaching staff, Gymnastics Association of the Philippines (GAP) president Cynthia Carrion, his girlfriend, and his girlfriend's family for their unending support.

"Sobrang grateful po ako sa mga taong sumusuporta sa akin at nagdasal. Sa inyo po, maraming salamat po sa pagdsal at pagsama sa journey na to (I am very grateful to the people who supported me and prayed. To you, thank you very much for praying and joining me on this journey)," Yulo said.

He thanked Filipinos worldwide who watched his performances, often without sleep, and prayed for him. With the challenges they face, the country's second Olympic champion said, "Huwag po tayong mawawalan ng pag-asa. Nandyan ang Panginoon, di tayo pababayaan, mahal tayo nyan (Let's not lose hope. The Lord is there; He will not leave us. He loves us)."

CONGRATULATIONS

Congratulatory posts for Yulo flooded social media since Saturday night.

Weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz-Naranjo, the first Olympic gold medalist for the Philippines, penned a heartfelt message for him following his golden performance.

"Proud ako sa iyo. I enjoy mo ang bunga ng pinagpaguran mo. At lagi mong ibabalik - sa Diyos at bayan, dahil lahat ng tagumpay natin ay hindi pansarili. Salamat sa lahat ng maganda at mabuting ginagawa at gagawin mo pa para sa Diyos at bayan (I'm proud of you. Enjoy the fruits of your hard work. Always give back to God and the country, because all our successes are not personal. Thank you for all the good  things you do and will do for God and the people)," Diaz-Naranjo said.

On his Facebook, President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. also congratulated Yulo, saying: “We’ve witnessed history as Carlos Yulo clinched the Philippines’ first gold medal in artistic gymnastics at the Paris 2024 Olympics. I am confident that it will not be the last. Congratulations, Caloy! The entire country stands proud with you!” he added.

In a press statement, Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president Abraham "Bambol" Tolentino praised Yulo, saying, “Caloy has again proven that a Filipino can win in the Olympics with the right ingredients and formula and through the proper process.”

The POC chief underscored that athlete training for the global stage has evolved beyond anecdotal methods. Today, athletes benefit from a dedicated team of coaches and years of preparation, just like Diaz-Naranjo and Yulo. He cited Diaz-Naranjo, who won the first Olympic gold for the country after competing in four Olympics. MLSA