Snagging two Olympic golds in back-to-back days is not a matter of joke. Especially, the task can be extremely difficult if the athlete enters the yard with a history of facing defeats. On August 3, gymnast Carlos Yulo entered the Bercy Arena with the same baggage. Last year in Antwerp, Belgium, he was pushed to the previous rank among the 91 gymnasts. His vault routine complicated his chance to make a comeback. But the Filipino gymnast knew how to turn the tables. 

In the next routine, the 24-year-old made a spectacular comeback. Thankfully, it was the floor exercise event that had often been touted as Yulo’s strong zone. Ultimately, with a score of 14,600, he secured a spot on the leaderboard. But he went through an emotional storm in between the two exercises—the vault and the floor. There was a moment when he worried he wouldn’t make the Paris Olympics cut after his vaulting performance. However, someone other than Cynthia Carrion-Norton witnessed that emotional rundown. 

Now fast forward to August 3 this year. Carlos Yulo claimed the gold medal in the men’s floor exercise event at the Paris Olympics. The following day, he returned to the floor for the event that had put a question mark on his entry to the Paris Olympics—the vault event. However, this time as well, the gymnast stood victorious with a score of 15.116. Dyan Castillejo, a Filipino sports analyst and a former tennis star, was there to see him just like before.

Ultimately, having watched Yulo for many years, Castillejo remarked, “I’m so happy for him because I’ve always known he could win, and you can hear from the International Gymnastics Committee that Carlos is super talented and gifted as a gymnast.” In her conversation with Tatlerasia.com, she also disclosed that she was in Tokyo to see Yulo perform. 

But Carlos did not get the outcome he had hoped for in Tokyo. He eventually earned his quota only in the vault event and finished in fourth rank in the final. The experience of competing in the Japanese capital was a learning experience for Yulo. In the end, it was his maiden performance in Japan, his adopted homeland. Yet the failure in such a venue made him weep along the fence line. Castillejo noticed that as well, from the gallery. 

While recalling the said moment, she disclosed, “I was there beside Cynthia when he lost in the Tokyo Games. He was so down then.” So from that saddening state to standing on the highest podium in Paris, Castillejo lived those moments along with Carlos Yulo. There had been another one, Cynthia Carrion-Norton, whom Carlos called his ‘second mom.’

Carlos Yulo acknowledges his second mom’s role in his ups and downs 

In recent times, Carlos Yulo has said many things about his biological mom, Angelica. He blamed her for withdrawing money from one of his accounts without his notice. As a result, the relationship between them has come to the receiving end. However, in this troubling time, Cynthia Carrion-Norton has stood beside him. The president of the Gymnastics Association of the Philippines has always supported Yulo. Dyan Castillejo claims to have watched her clapping for the gymnast in both Tokyo and Paris. Yulo did not miss her role.

In one of his interactions, the two-time world champion laid out, “Ma’am, Cynthia was the first one who believed in me. She didn’t leave me through my ups and downs; she was the one who stood by me and introduced me to many people so I could get sponsorships. If it weren’t for her, there would be no Carlos Yulo to win at the Olympics… And I am, of course, thankful to God that He introduced me to ma’am Cynthia.” In recent times as well, Cynthia has taken a major role, highlighting Yulo as the perfect bridge between the gymnastics associations of the Philippines and Japan. The fans would cheer for such a familiar bond.