When life tumbles, Filipino gymnast Carlos Yulo comes out stronger

MANILA – This time, Carlos Yulo has learnt to drown out the noise.

The Filipino gymnastics dynamo has been called many names in the past months – distracted, an ingrate, a two-time world champion who may have botched his chances of returning to the Olympics.

Life seemed to come tumbling down for him when he decided in 2023 to part ways with his long-time Japanese coach Munehiro Kugimiya, the man responsible for turning the soft-spoken 24-year-old into one of South-east Asia’s most bemedalled gymnasts.

Under the tough drillmaster, Yulo earned two golds, two silvers and two bronzes at the world championships since 2018.  He has dozens of medals in other international events, which propelled him to the 2020 Olympics. In Tokyo, he struggled in multiple events and missed vault bronze by 0.017 points.

His medal streak at the world championships was broken in October 2023. The coach-less Yulo missed out on a podium finish during his nightmarish run in Belgium, where he fell flat on his back in the rings and on the vault.

He still managed to secure a ticket to Paris despite placing fourth in his pet event, the floor exercise, as all the other finalists had either already qualified for the Olympics or were ineligible to do so.

His woeful performance put the spotlight on his troubles at home. His already frayed relations with his family reportedly turned sour as they disapproved of his decision to leave Tokyo, where he had been training for seven years, so he could train in Manila and spend more time with his girlfriend, content creator Chloe San Jose.

But the 1.5m athlete is proving why fans and critics alike should not count him out. In the crucial last stretch before the Paris Olympics, Yulo is back to his winning ways.

He claimed gold in the parallel bars and vault silver at the FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Cup Series in Doha in April after taking bronze on the floor in Azerbaijan in March. He then finished the Asian championships in May with a four-gold haul, topping the all-around, vault, parallel bars and floor events.

“I am more confident about what I need to do. And I think I am also more grounded now,” Yulo told The Straits Times.  

“I no longer let my critics influence me any more because they don’t really know what happened. They don’t know what’s really going on in my personal life.”

Yulo has been more focused on what he described as his “unorthodox” training regimen. As he does not have an official coach, he has instead found his groove under the tandem of Filipino tactician Aldrin Castaneda, who coached him when he was a junior gymnast, and sports occupational therapist Dr Hazel Calawod, who also serves as his strength and conditioning coach.

Yulo said his two coaches have crafted the perfect balance between sharpening his technique and conditioning his body, while also teaching him how to regulate his emotions better – something that was apparently missing when he was training in Tokyo.

“When I don’t get the results I want, I used to just be frustrated and angry. I wouldn’t talk to anyone. But my coaches taught me to better communicate, so they could work around my moods and emotions during training. That has been such a big help for me heading into the Olympics,” he said.

They also brought Yulo to short-term training camps in Seoul, South Korea, and Lilleshall, England, in February, when he had the chance to train alongside his potential rivals at the Olympics such as Korean Lee Jun-ho and Britain’s Jake Jarman.

“We became even closer to each other, and I had so many questions about their techniques and how they trained. I learnt so much,” Yulo said.

He admitted it has been more challenging to train in Manila’s sweltering heat. Naturally, more fans recognise him in his home turf and interviews have been non-stop. But he has found his rhythm to balance everything in his pre-Olympic journey.

And though much has been said about his romantic relationship, Yulo credits his girlfriend for his emotional stability as he prepares for Paris. “Her support has just been so overwhelming,” he said.

Despite the twists and turns in his life this past year, Yulo is raring for the comeback that could finally see him standing on an Olympic podium with the Philippine flag waving.

And he knows that his biggest enemy once he steps inside the arena is himself. His promise to the Filipino people? He is going all in – no ifs, no buts, no excuses. This is his redemption story.

“I do make mistakes, but I learn from them. For the Philippines, I will do everything that I can so we can finally get that Olympic gold medal,” he said.