You’d think that after making history, an athlete would be able to revel in the glory for quite some time. But that hasn’t been the case for Carlos Yulo. At the Paris Olympics, the gymnast won two gold medals (floor exercise and vault), becoming the first-ever athlete from the Philippines to do so. However, he had little time to bask in the feat’s distinction.

Instead, the Yulo family’s feud stunned the public with its details. The Olympian alleged that his mother mishandled his bank accounts and siphoned money from the vaults without his knowledge. The drama spiraled and Yulo and his girlfriend Chloe San Jose were slammed by the community for their actions and controversial statements. But it looks like the 24-year-old has had enough and isn’t one to budge from his stance.

Carlos Yulo breaks silence on the allegations

An article by Preview from December 13 sheds light on how life has been for Carlos Yulo in recent months. The article also notes how Yulo has experienced both sides of fame after his triumphant Parisian campaign. With the fans suddenly becoming aware of his accolades and life, Yulo mentioned that public scrutiny of his actions has also increased. ‘May mga masasabi pa rin po ‘yung iba, kahit maganda ‘yung gawin ko o hindi maganda ‘yung gawin ko’,” the article quotes him saying. When translated to English, “Others can still say things, even if what I do is good or what I do is not good,” Carlos said about how he has had to deal with a lot more than previously. With his tumultuous relationship with his mother, Angelica Yulo, the pressure has increased, but Carlos isn’t one to give in.

“Para sa akin, kilala ko ‘yung sarili ko. Alam ko ‘yung naging journey ko. Alam ko na wala akong ginagawang masama. ‘Di ako nananapak ng pagkatao or naninira ngdignidad,'” he went on, which can be translated into, “I know myself. I know what my journey has been. I know I’m not doing anything wrong,” the article quotes the Olympian, as he mentioned that he didn’t think that he was “destroying dignity.”

He went on about how he is reluctant to pay heed to the words that come after him despite his good intentions; as Yulo said, “It’s not that I don’t care, but if it doesn’t resonate with what you say [about] my behavior, I just ignore them,” (“Hindi naman po sa wala akong pakialam,” he clarifies, “pero kung hindi nagre-resonate sa sinasabi mo [tungkol sa] paguugali ko, ini-ignore ko nalang sila,” the article reads.

Carlos Yulo’s remarkable achievements at the 33rd Games established Filipino gymnastics on the global map. However, his troubles with his family became the bigger talking point for the fans. Moreover, with many fans sympathizing with Angelica, Carlos and Chloe rarely could spend their days celebrating his achievements. However, there are other things that should demand his immediate attention, if he wishes to continue his gymnastics passion.

Big thing shaping up for the history-making gymnast

The thought of becoming an Olympian was a burning desire in Yulo’s heart from an early age. To pursue the dream, Carlos Yulo left home at the tender age of 16 to train in Japan. The move was understandably a hard decision for a teenager, and Carlos had to suck up the heaving emotions in order to go after his dream. But it wasn’t an easy undertaking either. Carlos’ coach Hazel Calawod had previously revealed that they had to work together to help the former understand the gravity of things and how he should address the situation.

“As an athlete, you are in a very competitive environment. Basically, your lifestyle is you’re going to train in order to outperform your competitor. That is a lot of pressure, a lot of pressure in terms of understanding what your weaknesses and strengths are,” Calawod said about how Yulo had to deal with a lot.

Thankfully, all of that paid off. Today, despite the Yulo family’s troubles, he has brought uncharted glory to the country. Thanks to his stellar success, the Philippines is thinking of sending a bigger contingent to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, with Yulo at the helm of things. He is also likely to be joined by his younger sibling Eldrew, which would make them part of another historical moment where two Filipino siblings would compete on the Olympic stage together for the first time.”The Philippine gymnastics athletes, Eldrew and Elaiza Yulo are currently training in Japan under Coach Munehiro Kugimiya,” reported a social media post in October.

During the family feud, Carlos’ girlfriend held his hands firmly, despite the critics attacking her for not trying to mend the situation with her in-laws. But she kept her head held high and continued to stand beside the Olympian with poise. Jose also revealed that the couple has been traveling a lot since the Olympics and that being with her beloved helps her to ignore the fans’ sneers. “I just look at him. It’s as if the noise is filtered once I look at him straight in the eyes,” she said about how Carlos helps her to remain calm. But while the fans continue to see if the family makes peace, who do you think is in the right? And would you suggest to change their ways? Tell us your thoughts in the comments!