With every tumble, handspring and stuck landing at the Paris Olympics, trailblazing two-time gold medal gymnast Carlos Yulo of Team Philippines ignited a wave of Filipino pride.
The 24-year-old cemented his legendary status after he took the top spot in the men’s floor and vault events, making him the first male athlete in the Philippines history to win a gold medal. And the Filipino diaspora (rightfully) had no chill. They’ve been expressing their deep admiration for their “golden boy’s” major accomplishment.
Yulo first made history on Saturday when he beat out previous floor champ Artem Dolgopyat of Israel for gold, only to follow it up with another the next day when he bested Armenia’s Artur Davtyan and Great Britain’s Harry Hepworth in vault. The wins made Yulo the second person ever to take home gold for the Philippines after weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz won the women’s 55-kilogram event in 2021 at the Tokyo Games. He also accounts for the totality of the Philippines’ medal count this year.
Though the crowds in Bercy Arena, which included Team USA gold medalist Suni Lee, roared for the two-time champ, the noise on social media has been even louder. The Filipino community online has been sharing anything from emotional posts about representation and their “Pinoy pride” to thanking the gymnast for being able to “witness greatness.”
Yulo even nabbed a big congrats from Diaz herself.
“I am proud of you, not only because of your medals but because of the hard work you went through to achieve success, for yourself and, especially, for the country,” Diaz wrote in Filipino.
James Zarsadiaz, director of the Yuchengco Philippine Studies Program at the University of San Francisco, told NBC News that Yulo’s wins are particularly impressive given the scarcity of resources in the Philippines. Zarsadiaz explained that the lack of medals from Filipino athletes isn’t because they’re unathletic — it’s because there’s little financial investment across many sports.
“The countries that medal the most are the ones who have the most wealth, and their citizens have the most money and resources and networks,” he said. “It’s also not seen as much of a priority … For a lot of people in countries like the Philippines, it’s about survival. And to engage in something like competing for the Olympics is a complete indulgence.”
His win also destroys stereotypes of Asian men being unathletic and weak, Zarsadiaz said.
“A lot of Filipino and a lot of Asian men in general are often seen as not as strong and ‘masculine’ compared to other cultures,” he said. “This proves that Asian men have just as much prowess to compete in something like this and come out on top.”
Indeed, Yulo’s win has been hard earned. It comes after his 2021 performance in Tokyo, where he failed to qualify for the floor exercise finals. Now, it appears that Yulo is taking it all in.
“I’m so overwhelmed,” he said after the floor routine. “I’m feeling grateful for having this medal and for God. He protected me, as always.”
