CARLOS Yulo emerged as the Philippines' first double gold medalist after ruling the Paris Olympics vault finals on Sunday night, Aug. 4, barely 24 hours after clinching the gold in the floor exercise final. The 24-year-old, who hails from Leveriza in Malate, Manila, said he dedicates his triumph to the people who truly believe in him — and even to those who don't.

"Like what I said in my previous interview, all the struggles that put me down, all the non-believers that put me down, and those who truly believed in me, this one's for them," said Yulo in Filipino in an interview with Cignal TV and One Sports. Yulo's second gold was the icing on the cake for his redemption tour where he rose from the ashes of a frustrating Tokyo Olympics stint where he went home empty-handed. A favorite to win in the floor exercise event following his 2019 World Championships conquest, Yulo could not make the final in Tokyo after a fall during the qualification round.

He bounced back in the vault apparatus but could only finish fourth. Yulo, who parted ways with long-time Japanese coach Munehiro Kugimiya, also had to go through a rough World Championships last year that saw him land on his back at the rings and vault apparatus. These athletic struggles have also been compounded by the rift between him and his family that has recently surfaced online.

All those challenges have only made Caloy stronger, though. "The Lord gave me those challenges because he knows I'm capable of overcoming them. I'.