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Newsmakers

All’s well with Carlos, Chloe & Karl

PEOPLE - Joanne Rae M. Ramirez - The Philippine Star
All�s well with Carlos, Chloe & Karl
Olympic double gold medalist Carlos Yulo receives the ‘Athlete of the Year’ award from the San Miguel Corp. Philippine Sportswriters Association. Also in photo are (from left) Chloe San Jose, coach Aldrin Castaneda and Cynthia Carrion-Norton, president of the Gymnastics Association of the Philippines.
STAR/ File

It’s good to know that Olympic double gold medalist Carlos Yulo and his 17-year-old brother Karl Eldrew, a rising star in the gymnastics firmament, are not just civil — they’re brotherly sweet.

They were the picture of a happy family at the recent San Miguel Corp. Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) awards at the Manila Hotel. Both brothers were honored — Carlos, the first Filipino athlete to win multiple gold medals in the 100-year participation of Team Philippines in the Olympics as “Athlete of the Year,” and Karl, for his “fruit medal harvests.”

The PSA cited the younger Yulo, who seems to be following in Carlos’ footsteps, for “a haul of eight gold medals in a Hongkong international invitational that further boosted his stock as the future of Philippine gymnastics.” After he received his award, Karl went to his brother’s girlfriend Chloe San Jose and kissed her on the cheek. She greeted him a “Happy Birthday” as he had just turned 17.

Carlos couldn’t have been prouder of his younger brother. “Sobrang proud po and siyempre siya po ang next generation. Really praying and hoping po na ma-achieve niya po ‘yung kung ano yung gu

Karl Eldrew Yulo greets Chloe.

sto niyang gawin sa buhay niya.”

 

Carlos, unsurprisingly, received the “Athlete of the Year” award, only the second gymnast to receive the award in the PSA’s 77 years, after former SEA Games gymnastics medalist Pia Adelle Reyes, who won the PSA “Athlete of the Year” in 1997.

A tender moment between Carlos and Chloe. Photos by JOANNE RAE RAMIREZ

In his acceptance speech, Carlos thanked, first and foremost, the Almighty.

“Gusto ko lang po talagang magpasalamat sa Panginoon, sa lahat ng blessings at challenges na binigay N’ya sa buhay ko. Lahat ng paghihirap ko, lahat ng pagod, sobrang worth it talaga, na nakamit ko ang tagumpay kasama ang mga mahal ko sa buhay,” he began.

Perhaps for the first time in a big event, Carlos publicly and effusively expressed his gratitude to Chloe, thanking her for taking care of his mental health, “Sa napakaganda kong partner, Chloe. Maraming-maraming salamat sa pag-aalaga sa mental health.”

Cynthia Carrion-Norton, president of the Gymnastics Association of the Philippines (GAP) and the “wind beneath the wings” of Carlos since he was a child, told the audience that Chloe is Carlos’ “inspiration.”

Carlos expressed his gratitude to Cynthia  for believing in him from the start.

“Maraming-maraming salamat sa pagtitiwala at unang naniwala sa kakayahan ko,” the Olympic gold medalist said. Cynthia received on behalf of the GAP the National Sports Association of the Year award for being “responsible for winning two gold medals in the 2024 Summer Olympics through Carlos Yulo.”

‘What if we win?’

The MVP Group of companies was also given a special award, received by Cignal president and CEO Jane Jimenez Basas, for “spearheading the private sector’s support towards Philippine athletes, sports teams and associations.”

Jane recounted that Cignal had turned down thrice the offer for the rights to cover the Paris Olympics due to the expenses involved. But she was prevailed upon by her sports head Sienna Olaso to give it more thought.

“Sabi niya, umakyat tayo kay boss, kay MVP (Manny V. Pangilinan). So, umakyat kami, nagpaalam kami. Isa lang po ang tanong sa amin, ‘What if we win? What if we win and we didn’t bring the live event to the Filipino people?’ So, within the next 30 minutes, tumawag po si MVP at si Ricky Vargas…trying to raise the money within the group.”

And the Philippines indeed scored a win, and Cignal TV was there to bring Carlos’ winning moment — and the sheer pride of the Philippine flag being raised twice — back home to jubilant audiences.

Cignal was also there to witness the bronze-medal wins of boxers Nesthy Petecio and Aira Villegas, who were also both honored that night.

On the sidelines of the event, Nesthy approached Carlos whose back was turned to her as he was greeting a fan. Nesthy tapped him on the shoulder and Carlos slowly turned, his face registering a mix of surprise and affection for his co-Olympian. They embraced like long-lost friends.

The PSA awards night was held 100 years after the Philippines’ first participation in the Olympics, and PSA president Nelson Beltran of The Philippine STAR left no stone unturned for the success of the well-attended event, which honored a total of 117 athletes. They included  past Filipino Olympians to present achievers in Philippine sports, including coaches, officials, sports organizations led by 2024’s PSA Athlete of the Year Carlos Yulo. It was the  biggest PSA awards to date, with the theme “Golden Year, Golden Centenary.”

And a golden moment was had by all — especially Carlos, Chloe, Cynthia and Karl. *

KARL

YULO

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