Carlos Yulo didn’t just flip his way into the history books—he catapulted straight to superstar status! As the first male Filipino gymnast to snag Olympic gold, Yulo’s become a national treasure, complete with parades, cash prizes, free flights, and even lifetime lunch buffets (talk about perks!). He’s now not only Asia’s best gymnast but one of the world’s finest. But did you know that he fell in love with the sport at first sight?

During his childhood, Carlos Yulo and his friends spent most of his time at the playground. One of his father’s friends recommended that the group try gymnastics, noticing their athletic splendor. Carlos had no idea about the sport and decided to sneak in at Manila’s Rizal Memorial Sports Complex and play with the trampoline. Initially hesitant, the manager of the complex saw Carlos’ talent and decided to let him train for free. This was the start of a beautiful journey that would culminate in the gymnast winning two Olympic gold medals.

In an interview with Tatler Asia, Carlos talked about the exact moment he fell in love with gymnastics while training. He said, “When I first saw what gymnastics was like, it was like paradise to me. I saw so many gymnasts practicing. I remember telling myself that I wanted to be like them someday; I wanted to be a gymnast, too.”

Carlos Yulo also felt heavily inspired to take up the sport when he saw the Japanese gymnastics phenom Kōhei Uchimura, who is a seven-time Olympic and 21-time World medalist in action at the London Olympics. He said, “He inspired me the most, and I said, ‘I want to participate in the Olympics and win a medal like him’. It was then that I started to get serious about the sport—and also when I started to dream.” Thus, the wheels for the journey had started rolling.

His first ever Olympics campaign was in Tokyo three years ago. Carlos Yulo qualified only in the vault competition, eventually finishing fourth. Coming this close to the podium motivated him to take one step further at the Paris Olympics. But instead of doing so, Carlos would take three steps forward to win the gold medal.

Not only did he win one in the vault competition, but he also won the floor exercise, bringing two gold medals to his home nation. It was an incredible achievement, which fans won’t forget so easily. However, the journey to enter the Paris Olympics wasn’t that simple for Carlos Yulo. Despite being one of the best gymnasts on his continent before Paris, he faced one huge disappointment, which left him shaken and emotional.

Carlos Yulo’s terrible start at the Paris Olympics, which made him emotional

While Carlos Yulo might have become a superstar with the courtesy of the Paris Olympics, he had faced major hiccups during its qualification. He took part in the Artistic Gymnastics World Championship in Belgium, which is an integral tournament to grab a spot in the Olympics. But his performance there on the first day was not up to the mark. He finished dead last among the 91 gymnasts in the vault category, putting his ticket to France in doubt.

Carlos became heavily upset and started crying. However, it was not just him who shed tears. “I remember my whole team crying… We thought I would not be able to enter the Olympics,” he said, speaking to Tatler. But Carlos Yulo didn’t let the situation bog him down as he staged an incredible comeback at his strongest event, the floor exercise. He ended up finishing in third place, garnering 14,600 points.

This helped him make his way to Paris, giving him the stage to create history. “When I found out that I was still qualified, I cried, and I thanked the Lord so much that, somehow, I’d still be able to compete at the Olympics,” he said. While his World Championship campaign caused him a lot of pain, eventually it only made Carlos Yulo stronger during Paris, helping him in his pursuit. Now, he can sit back and bask in the glory, knowing that he’ll be an Olympic champion forever.