Yulo’s name etched in history

PARIS — Maybe to many or for some, life is never clear.

Declaring he’s “Jesus believer,” Carlos Yulo is convinced he’s blessed with a wondrous skills set, and that there’s hope in pursuing a dream with a strong work ethic, purpose, belief and resilience. He has no doubt about it.

And molded and toughened by the crucibles of life, trusting the process and maintaining a positive attitude, Yulo hit his full potential and he’s now called King Carlos, King Caloy, Golden Boy, Olympic Champ, etc.

Yulo’s the best from the rest or the greatest from among all hopefuls the country had unleashed to compete in the pinnacle of all sporting wars. Count all of them from the country’s very first plunge in the Games back in 1924 to this day in the same adorable French capital.

Yulo wrote his name in the annals of Philippine sports with two magical moments in a weekend of Olympic gymnastics medal plays, claiming the floor exercise and vault championships at the Bercy Arena.

Before Yulo, there’s no Philippine bet who had won a gymnastics medal and no Philippine male athlete in any sport who had nailed an Olympic gold. Today, there’s no other who can answer to a call “Olympic Double-Gold Winner!”

“It’s just so overwhelming,” said Yulo.

But the nagging question is what makes Yulo different? What sets him apart from the rest?

It’s not thrown at him exactly in his hours of triumphs as he has always got a ready answer – enduring trials of life, making the most of his experiences and accepting anything God has to give.

“I did not give up on the challenges. I am thankful to the Lord that he gave me this experience, this life and this opportunity to play in such big competition,” said Yulo after winning his first gold.

“(I’ve gone through) lots of experiences that are pretty tough for me, not only in gymnastics but in personal life. I’m grateful that God gave me the power to enjoy this kind of journey,” Yulo shared after completing his amazing double-gold feat.

He’s in the zenith of sporting success and he’s automatically bound to receive millions in incentives, but there’s the sad part of his thorny relationship with his family. There’s also his split with his Japanese coach Munehiro Kugiyama.

All these he’d rather not discuss.

“I’m just grateful to God. I’m grateful I didn’t stop and grateful He gave me hope and He gave me people who truly believe and trust me,” he said, making special mention of his partner Chloe San Jose and her family, and Gymnastics Association of the Philippines president Cynthia Carrion.

“I really need to work on my personality not just in gymnastics but on how I view life. I need to work on myself to learn and accept what I can and can’t do, and trust the process for me and my mental health,” he added.

Redemption from the Tokyo slip?

“It’s not revenge anymore like in 2022. It’s more like ‘let’s do it and let’s find out,’” said Yulo.

He did it and found great success, ending his Paris campaign with two shining gold medals dangling on his neck.

At 24, Yulo is Olympic double champ and world championship double-gold winner.

Hail King Carlos!