It takes a village to make a seemingly impossible dream a reality, and it has never been truer than Carlos Yulo's spectacular feat in Paris last weekend. The Manileno became the first Filipino gymnast to become an Olympic champion. He won two gold medals during that memorable weekend, a feat that may not be achieved by any Filipino Olympian.
This isn't a stroke of good luck, as many people in the international gymnastics community are aware of Yulo's otherworldly talents. And his struggles after the Tokyo Olympics. It's the same old story with other athletes, but Pinoy sports fans know that only champions would turn their struggles, or adversity, into a fuel to motivate themselves further. And that was what happened to Yulo.
Many gymnastics fans are excited to talk about Yulo's rewards and his bright future, but let's not get too far ahead. Yet. Let's look back at the past years. It wasn't only a blessing of disguise for Yulo, but an eye opener for Filipino fans. Carlos Yulo is rather an exception to the rule.
Kugimiya Munehiro saw a potential in Carlos Yulo. China and Japan are fierce rivals in men's gymnastics, and it intensified after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Gymnastics would be incomplete without the Russians, but their absence wouldn't make this sport less exciting. It was Kugimiya Munehiro who discovered the young Carlos Yulo. The Japanese coach saw a diamond in the rough. And Yulo's meteoric rise made the international gymnastics community notice his capabilities.
The 2018 Melbourne World Cup was Yulo's first international appearance. He won the bronze medal in the vault. Another World Cup leg was held in Baku, Azerbaijan later that month. Yulo placed second in the vault. his pet event. Two wins in one month. It should've been an impressive start for Yulo, but something else happened. Yulo competed in the 2018 World Artistic Gymnastic Championships in Doha, Qatar. He won the bronze medal in the floor exercise. It was a sign of bigger things to come.
Yulo experienced the high and low. Caloy Yulo, as his family and friends would call him, competed in the 2019 World Artistic Championship in Stuttgart, Germany, and did what no Filipino gymnasts before him did. He won the gold medal in the floor, which would turn out to be his favorite. It would make him the favorite in the Tokyo Olympics, but Olympic glory wasn't meant for him. Yet. The Filipino gymnast failed to advance to the finals of the floor exercise, which was won by Israel's Artem Dolgopyat.
Munehiro told the Philippine media, and Pinoy fans, that he should be blamed for the disappointing result. Yulo didn't take any of it, owning that loss as well. Did it affect the relationships between coach and mentor? Yes. Not a few gymnastics fans foresaw the two parting ways. Some might not have made it through, but it was a different outcome for Yulo.
Yulo's parting from Munehiro was a blessing in disguise. The next Olympic cycle wasn't so-so for Yulo, as he won the gold medal in the vault in the 2021 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships. But there was a potential that wasn't fully utilized. In an interview (a few years ago), Yulo stressed that his parting from his Japanese mentor wasn't due to personal issues.
He became a senior gymnast, and Munehiro didn't watch him closely as he used to. In other words, it was time for Yulo to explore other options. His parting happened before the Paris Olympics. The gymnastics community noticed his predicament. South Korea and the UK invited Ulo to train with them. For Yulo, this opportunity was a chance to train along some of his rivals. Jake Jarman was one of those.
Did Jake Jarman play a part in Yulo's training in the UK? Jake Jarman became the face of British gymnastics after winning four gold medals in the 2022 Commonwealth Games. Jarman became a serious contender after capturing the gold medal in vault in the 2023 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships. His mother hails from Cebu, and it's no secret in gymnastic circles that Yulo and Jarman are good friends.
In fact, there was no bad blood between the two after Yulo won the gold medal on the floor in Paris. (Yulo, Jarman, and Cynthia Carrion, president of the Philippine Gymnastics Association, posed for a photo.) Not a few fans suspected that Jarman could've persuaded the British Gymnastics that Yulo would be allowed to train with the British team. It's a nice gesture from them, but we'll talk more about it a little later.
Yulo is the big winner of the 2024 Men’s Artistic Gymnastics Championship. The 2024 year’s Men’s Artistic Gymnastics Championship was held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan (last May). Carlos Yulo was the gold medal winner in the all-around individual event, floor, vault, and parallel bars. This impressive result bode well for Yulo such that he wasn’t upset when he placed 12th in the all-around individual event in Paris.
Yulo's historic win won't open the doors for up-and-coming Pinoy gymnasts. The politicking in the Philippines doesn't shock, or anger, the Filipinos, and Yulo's triumph would overshadow the fact that no up-and-coming Pinoy gymnast would follow him soon. They could learn a few things: they must strive to excel in their routine; they must look for foreigners like Munehiro, and they mustn't be distracted by personal issues. More on that one later.
Carlos Yulo will be 28 years of age when Los Angeles hosts the 2028 Summer Olympics. He’s still young enough. However, his double victory would raise some questions. His personal life is out in the open. He didn’t get along with his mother or so it seems. Will it get in the way of his future? It’s nobody’s business, but how it would affect his preparation for the Los Angeles Olympics should make fans watch his next moves. Then there’s something else.
Jarman may have won the bronze medal in the floor in the Paris Olympics, but his teammates also did well. Harry Hepworth won the bronze in the vault while placing seventh in the still rings. Joe Fraser finished fifth in the all-around individual finals. Jarman was seventh in that event. The group photo fueled suspicion that Jarman might represent the Philippines in the 2028 Olympics. And Yulo’s whopping reward might persuade the British Gymnastics. If this happens, fans are hoping that Yulo and Jarman won’t turn into bitter rivals.
Last but not the least, Shinnosuke Oka won the gold medal in the all-around individual event in Paris. The Japanese gymnast is only 20 years of age, so he could be Yulo’s biggest rival in the upcoming World Artistics Gymnastic Championships, the 2026 Asian Games in Nagoya, and the annual Men’s Artistic Gymnastic Championships. This up-and-coming rivalry, if it happens, would be good for the sport. Will Munehiro like it?
Your thoughts?
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