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'm really grateful for the challenges he's given me," Yulo said.
"It made me stronger. I learned a lot about myself, how to adjust and be content with what I have, and to stay humble with whatever that I do." Yulo, a 2021 World Championships vault titlist, was in disbelief after his stellar vault performance.
"I didn't expect that I would perform like that in the vault. I couldn't believe it earlier. I came in there, relaxed and told myself, 'Whatever, I have nothing to lose anyway.
' I just went all out. That's how I felt. It was a crazy experience.
" Congratulations The accolades, meanwhile, have kept pouring in after Yulo won his second gold medal. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was among the throngs of Filipinos who expressed elation over Yulo's double gold medal feat.
In a short statement posted on his official social media accounts, the chief executive lauded the 24-year-old world and Olympic champion for bringing pride and glory to the Philippines "not once but twice." "No words can express how proud we are of you, Caloy. You have achieved GOLD for the Philippines not once but twice! Filipinos all over the world stood united, cheering and rooting for you," he said.
"We are proud of your resounding success and salute you!" he added in Filipino. First lady Liza Araneta-Marcos also took to social media to congratulate Yulo. "Watching you win that GOLD in REAL TIME for the second time was incredible! You've made your country proud," she posted on Facebook.
Senators on Monday filed separate resolutions to honor Yulo. Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada, Senate Majority Leader Francis Tolentino, and Sens. Joel Villanueva and Juan Miguel Zubiri lauded Yulo for the honor he brought to the Philippines when he won not one but two golds in gymnastics.
Zubiri filed proposed Senate Resolution (SR) 1108 to award Yulo the Senate Medal of Excellence for his outstanding performance. Yulo "truly deserves the Senate and the Filipino people's recognition for accomplishing such a magnificent feat" in winning two gold medals in the Olympics. Zubiri said that with Yulo's historic Olympic victories, he has become "one of the greatest Filipino athletes of all time.
" He described Yulo as a "super athlete" for winning gold in the men's floor exercise and vault exercise. "I never thought I'd the day that we will be in the top 20 in the medal board tally of the Olympics with two golds care of one person — one super athlete which is Carlos Yulo," Zubiri said. Estrada, in filing SR 1103, said, "Yulo's outstanding achievement at the world's biggest sporting event should be celebrated by the entire nation as it is a testament to the excellent skill and unyielding spirit of the Filipinos.
His glorious success is a shining example of what hard work, discipline, perseverance, and commitment to excellence can accomplish." Villanueva filed SR 1104, congratulating and commanding Carlos for winning two gold medals in the 2024 Summer Olympics. He also filed SR 1105 to confer the Philippine Senate Medal of Excellence to Yulo.
Speaker Martin Romualdez said Yulo is a "once-in-a-century Filipino athlete." His achievements brought "immense pride and joy to the nation" and showed "the unparalleled talent and dedication of Filipino athletes on the global stage," Romualdez said. "His remarkable performance at the Paris is a testament to his hard work, perseverance, and exceptional skill.
" Romualdez said Yulo's victories also inspired Filipinos, "especially the youth, to pursue their dreams with passion and determination." On Monday, Abra Rep. Ching Bernos filed House Resolution 1839, commending and congratulating Yulo for his two Olympic gold medals.
Bernos noted that Yulo deserved to be lauded because of his "unprecedented victory that brings pride and honor to the Philippines, as he sets an admirable example to the Filipino youth to pursue sports as a way to instill discipline and to improve one's mind and body." The House has pledged P3 million for gold medalists, which meant that Yulo will receive at least P6 million from the legislative chamber. He will receive more cash incentives from a fundraising campaign that Romualdez initiated among House lawmakers.
Also, the House will give Yulo a congressional medal for his achievement. The House has pledged P2 million for silver medalists and P1 million for bronze medalists. Meanwhile, a former government official said that now is the time to consider increasing funding for overall sports development to generate more gold medalists.
Nicasio Conti, former commissioner of the Presidential Anti-Graft Commission, said that now that Yulo showed that Filipinos could go toe-to-toe in the grandest sports spectacle of all — the Olympics, it was time to support athletes with the adequate resources to win. Upgraded prizes With his second gold medal, Yulo now stands to receive an additional P10 million incentive from the government for a total of P20 million under RA 10699, also known as the Sports Benefits and Incentives Act of 2001. As an Olympic gold medalist, Yulo is also set to receive a house and lot from the Philippine Olympic Committee.
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