Receiving a scholarship from Teikyo University in Japan was probably the best thing that could have happened for the gymnastic future of Philipino gymnast Carlos Yulo. However, things soon took a wild turn as Yulo had some serious fallout with his coach, Munehiro Kugimiya. Going solo, Yulo hit rock bottom when he returned from the 2023 World Championships empty-handed. But the Philippine athlete was not the one to be deterred. Instead, Yulo traveled almost all over the world.

He hopped on to Great Britain, South Korea, the Philippines, and Japan to train with top gymnasts and hone his crafts. When one puts in all the effort, even the Almighty supports their cause. Yulo stood atop the podium not once but twice in Paris! Scoring 15.000 on the floor, he won the first gymnastics gold for the Philippines in the Olympics. Yulo again took the top spot in the vault with a score of 15.116. But amid all this, Yulo’s love and regard for Japan never faded away. So the 2x Olympic champion went back to the place from where it all started.

Carlos Yulo promises to return to Tokushukai Gymnastics Club

Moving to Japan at 16 with a scholarship program by the Japan Olympic Association., Carlos Yulo spent a major chunk of his developmental phase in the Land of the Rising Sun. Honing his skills for seven years straight in Tokyo, Yulo developed a strong bond with the country and its people. Understandably, he was overjoyed as he visited the Tokushukai Gymnastics Club, where he used to train.

“Thank you very much to everyone at Tokushukai Gymnastics Club. I am truly grateful for your warm support and encouragement,” Yulo wrote in Japanese on his social media handles Tuesday. “Being able to train with such great teammates is a great motivation for me. I look forward to training with you again soon. Take care, everyone!” The club was excited to have him.

“Caloy came to greet us at the new arena with his gold medals from Paris!” the club wrote in Japanese on its Instagram handle. But Yulo was not the only Olympic champion there during the return to his former training arena.

Japanese Paris Olympic champions Shinnosuke Oka and Takaaki Sugino were also there with Yulo. Oka won the men’s individual all-around tournament. He also won the team all-around event with Sugino, Tokyo Olympic champion Daiki Hashimoto, along with Kaya Kazuma and Wataru Tanigawa. Yulo also shared the moments he spent with Sugino and Oka. “This is the best!” Yulo wrote in Japanese on his Instagram story, tagging the two Japanese gymnasts. Meanwhile, his home country, the Philippines, came up with a host of gifts.

Right after Yulo created history by winning two Olympic gold medals, the Philippine government announced a monetary reward of 10 million Philippine pesos ($172,907)! Well, this was not all. Yulo also received a three-bedroom condo worth almost 32 million Philippine pesos ($553,293). He was also awarded a Toyota Land Cruiser Prado from Toyota Motors Philippines as a token of appreciation for his great deed. 

Now, with the list of gifts already looking quite enough, wait till you take a look at all the remaining gifts that Carlos Yulo received from the Philippines. They were as follows: 

• A lifetime supply of ramen from Hagemu Sushi and Ramen Bar
• A lifetime supply of buffets from Vikings Luxury Buffet
• A vault and furniture worth $1,700 from Apollo Home Depot
• An endless supply of cookies from Cookies by the Bucket
• A cash incentive from the Philippine House of Representatives
• Free headlights and fog lights
• Free medical consultation after he turns 45
• A free wedding photographer

But the extent of his feats has trickled outside of his homeland too, getting him honored by Japan. On October 1, Yulo was called in at the Japanese Embassy residence in Makati by Ambassador Endo Kazuya. The meet-up included a ceremony, which was followed by a sumptuous, 6-course dinner prepared exclusively by the in-house chef. The wife of the Japanese ambassador, Madame Aikiko Endo, personally designed a flower arrangement imitating the Olympic rings to make Yulo feel special. 

Overwhelmed at the honors and hospitality received from Japan, Yulo stated, “Japan is really special to my heart… Japan really helped me to push my gymnastics, and of course my personality as well… I’m really grateful for the people that I met there and all the things I learned, like skosh their culture, how they speak, how they move. I’m really grateful for that.” (According to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, skosh comes from the Japanese word sukoshi, which means “a tiny bit” or “a small amount”). But amid all these, Yulo has not lost his primary target.

“I heard I’ll be getting a lot of prizes, but maybe I’m more focused on the next cycle of the Olympics. It will be a greater experience for me because I want to defend that title that I won [here] in the next cycle and show everyone that I’m worth of a gold medal in all my performances in my competitions,” was Yulo’s measured reaction as he soaked into the honors. Surely, Carlos Yulo seems to be living the life of his dreams. But things were not so rosy even after his historic triumph.

Carlos Yulo opened up on the rift with his mother

Following his Olympic triumph, Carlos Yulo recorded a video on TikTok that had some gruesome allegations. Speaking about his mother, Angelica Yulo, Carlos stated that she was not very fond of his girlfriend, Chloe Anjeleigh San Jose. The rift between the two started when the gymnast left Japan to settle with his girlfriend in Tokyo.

Detailing the tensions between the two, Carlos pointed out that, coming from a different cultural background, San Jose’s choice of attire was expectedly different from that of the Philippine people. This was something that did not sit well with Angelica. But things did not stop there.

Making some shocking revelations on the TikTok video, Carlos accused his mother of draining money from his bank account. The 2x Olympic gold medalist stated, “Apart from the incentives, my mom also had access to my bank account and my monthly allowances for gymnastics. When I finally got control of that bank account, I found out she had been draining it. I have the bank statements showing the withdrawals she made.” Countering the allegations, Angelica did admit to taking money from her son’s account. 

However, she stated that it was for Carlos’ safety, as she was concerned that the gymnast might run out of money in the future. However, later on, Angelica apologized for her actions, and things seem to be settled now. However, Yulo was lucky enough to have got a motherly figure away from his family.

Yulo has immense respect for Ms. Cynthia Carrion-Norton, president of the Gymnastics Association of the Philippines and executive board member of the Philippine Olympic Committee. The 2x world champion has showcased it several times.

“If it weren’t for her [Cynthia Carrion-Norton], 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.” he had said. It was Cynthia who took up the responsibility of finding sponsors for Yulo on behalf of him. No wonder that he calls her his second mother. With all that, Yulo has been able to put aside the negativities to carve his path. The next target, Los Angeles!