MANILA, Philippines – It’s a feat the Philippines has never done before in the annals of the world’s biggest sporting event. So when Carlos Yulo made history as the first Filipino athlete to win two gold medals in the Olympics, the gymnastics superstar easily became the top choice for the 2024 Athlete of the Year honor given by the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) in its coming Awards Night on January 27 at the Centennial Hall of the Manila Hotel. Yulo scored the rare double gold by topping the men’s floor exercise and vault in the Paris Olympics — a fitting exploit celebrating the Philippines’ 100 years of participation in the Summer Games.
The 24-year-old dynamo’s triumph was also a fitting follow up on weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz ending the country’s search for its first Olympic gold during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics when she triumphed in the women’s 55kg class final in dramatic fashion. “From a great Olympic performance to an even greater Olympic show, and from one big breakthrough to an even bigger breakthrough — thanks to Carlos Yulo whose giant feat we will celebrate in handing him our highest accolades,” said PSA president Nelson Beltran, sports editor of The Philippine Star . Yulo became the first gymnast since young Pia Adelle Reyes in 1997 to be recognized as Athlete of the Year by the country’s oldest media organization in its traditional gala night backed by San Miguel Corporation and co-presented by ArenaPlus, Cignal, and MediaQues.
