Carlos Yulo has long been hailed as one of Asia’s top gymnasts, but the Paris Olympics kicked his status up a notch, and how! This dynamo became the second-ever Filipino—and the first-ever male Filipino—to snag an Olympic gold medal, nailing the men’s floor exercise finals. He didn’t stop there; he soared to victory in the vault competition too, returning home with not one but two shiny gold medals. Talk about a homecoming celebration!

The entire nation couldn’t believe their eyes—Carlos Yulo transformed from a talented gymnast into a bona fide superstar overnight. He got showered with gifts, including a three-bedroom house in Manila and a fleet of cars. Not to mention, restaurants were practically rolling out the red carpet, offering him free meals for life! His achievements turned his life upside down, but did you know that all of this glory might have almost slipped through his fingers?

Still basking in the glory of his spectacular success at the Paris Olympics, Carlos Yulo spoke of the time when he thought he wouldn’t make it into the competition. During the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in 2023, Yulo stumbled in the first competition of the tournament, which was the vault category. This put his qualification in doubt, as it was a vital competition in the whole scheme of things. The outcome led the gymnast to have a major breakdown.

Speaking to Tatler Asia, he said, “I cried a lot because my performance in Belgium was not good—that competition would make or break my qualifications for the Olympics.” The gymnast added, “I remember my whole team crying… We thought I would not be able to enter the Olympics.”

Despite facing a rocky start in the competition—finishing dead last out of 91 gymnasts—Carlos Yulo staged a remarkable comeback when his strongest event, the floor exercise, rolled around. With a solid score of 14.600, he snagged third place, securing his ticket to Paris. The moment was so overwhelming that he couldn’t help but shed a few tears, thanking God for the chance to qualify for the Olympics.

And just like that, the rest became Olympic history! Yulo’s journey is a beacon of hope and national pride for the Philippines. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. hailed him a hero, saying, “Filipinos all over the world stood united, cheering and rooting for you.” Fresh off this monumental celebration, whispers are circulating about Yulo potentially strutting his stuff at the LA Olympics!

Carlos Yulo labels his ambitions for the LA Olympics

Talking to Strait Times, Carlos Yulo made his ambitions for the LA Olympics as clear as he could. The gymnast said, “My next goal is to get a medal in the individual all-around and try to protect the gold medal in floor and vault.” If the Filipino athlete is successful in his pursuit of these goals, very few will be able to argue against his spot among the greatest male gymnasts of all time! His words also made it clear that we had not seen the last of him and there’s a lot more in store for the viewers.

However, he later added that participating in such a huge competition is sometimes more important than the medal. “But there’s always more to it, it’s not all about the medals, for me, it’s all about experience,” said the Olympic gold medalist. Thus, whether or not he paves his way to another spectacular victory, Yulo will be representing the Philippines again at the LA Olympics, much to their pride as they’ve grown to love him. In fact, the gymnast admitted to being swarmed by numerous people expressing their adoration for him whenever he stepped out of the country.

“I’m really glad and so happy that my dreams came true, and also the impact that I made to Filipinos and it also feels like I gave momentum to our other athletes,” said Yulo. Thus, while his legacy remains solidified after his outing at Paris, he’ll attempt to replicate it all once again in the US four years later. If he does so, Carlos Yulo would craft another magnificent tale for his nation to witness.