SPORTS | The Rise of the Gymnastics Superstar

The Rise of the Gymnastics Superstar

Against All Odds, Carlos Yulo Proved that Success Is Not Served On A Silver Platter

You should understand that coming from a third world country, the Philippines has struggled to produce notable athletes who have actually reached the Olympics. A quick look online reveals a few names who have actually competed in the Olympics and in recent years, the names of Mansueto "Onyok" Velasco (silver in men's light flyweight boxing) and Hidilyn Diaz (silver in women's 53 kg weightlifting) easily ring a bell. As well Christian Michael Martinez (figure ice skating, non medalist). This has been the scenario for the Philippines.

Lack of Support

There are many factors attributed to the scarcity of Filipino athletes in the world stage, but it is perhaps the lack of funding to support internationally accepted trainings or provision of quality equipment. One can argue that no matter what the circumstance is, if an athlete is naturally good then he will win. But this outlook is many ways not applicable to ever changing times. Athletes need to learn as much as they can in order to be competitive. If the Philippines continue to stick to its gun when it comes to outmoded training methods then it is futile to expect changes.

And this is exactly what Carlos Yulo, the Philippines future Olympian gold medalist, proved to the entire Philippines. Due to the limited training he was getting from his local trainors, his skills did not grow as it should have. Considering that he started gymnastics at the age of 7, he would have been a competitor to give other champions a run for their money. By luck, he was fortunate enough to be discovered by a Japanese coach and took him to Japan to train him for four years. 

Can you imagine the hurdles of training 4 years away from your family?

But this is the same method that China is employing. As far as I know, Chinese sports ministers scout young and potential athletes to take them to training camps where they are barred from their families to keep them from distraction. And look at how many Chinese Olympics medalist there are. Russia also does the exact rigorous trainings for their athletes and that is why they reap medals.

How about Yuzuru Hanyu- the ice skating superstar from Japan? Or Yuna Kim- the ice princess of South Korea. Not long ago, they were exactly in the same shoes of Carlos Yulo. Training very hard with little to no contact in the outside world; just pure focus. And with the amount of discipline and commitment, they became the number one athletes in their designated sports.

No Pain, No Gain

What I am really trying to say here is that glory is equated to pain. One cannot expect to rise above the rest without sacrificing things which more often than not, are extremely difficult to do such as being separated from family, spending most of the time alone and not really indulging to interesting things that most people your age would have been doing.

In one of the YouTube videos of Carlos Yulo, he mentioned how is constantly crying and thought about quitting many a time. But he had a dream and passion, so he opted to keep training despite the internal struggle that he is dealing with. Fast forward to 2019, with a gold medal to his name - Carlos is now reaping the fruits of his labor. On his last visit to the Philippines, he was almost a celebrity and even Mayor Isko Moreno awarded him a generous sum of money for the honor he has given to Manila and the Philippines.

I hope that Carlos Yulo continue to inspire many other young Filipinos who dream big, not just in sports but in all other areas of whatever brings fire to their hearts.#