Applause erupted from Filipinos in all nooks of the globe at every turn on the floor and on the air as Carlos Edriel Poquiz Yulo performed in the final competition in the gymnastics of the 2024 Olympics. People were caught in awe as the young Filipino made perfect landings after making difficult artistic twists and turns. The tumbling appeared too easy for the Filipino Olympian who trained so hard to achieve his childhood dream of winning an Olympic gold. Unknown to all of us, he had to sacrifice in daily training and correct practice to attain perfect form since when he was a kid. His life story only came to public knowledge when he bagged the first gold in the artistic floor exercises, besting seven others in the field.
The tale of his difficult life drew public attention as he shared his humble beginnings in the gym near his house. He was only seven years young when his grandfather brought noticed his superb tumbling skills on their neighborhood. It was reportedly his grandfather who brought him to the Rizal Memorial Coliseum for his to watch young gymnasts in practice. Thereafter, he was introduced to the officials of the Gymnastics Association of the Philippines where he was admitted for training after undergoing a tryout. His grandfather is still living in their family abode but had no knowledge of his feats, chiefly his winning two Olympic golds in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
In a twist of fate, he was given the opportunity to train in Japan under the tutelage of a Japanese coach who imposed a regimen too hard to do but he took without any complaint as he was focused on his Olympic dream. His stint in Japan had the support of the Gymnastics Association of the Philippines and his father who backed him in the sport of his passion. He participated in world and international tournaments for him to hone his skills and win prizes as well. His winnings reportedly went directly to his mother Angelica Poquiz Yulo.
As he hugged the limelight in the 2024 Paris Olympics, a silent bomb was ticking behind the scenes. It exploded to distract the attention of people hooked to social media platforms. The issue has to do with posts by the mother who openly disowned her son for reasons only she could explain. There too were messages against the girlfriend of her son, who she did not like as unworthy of her son. She was protective of her son who she sees as being controlled by his girlfriend. The rift spread like wildfire on social media as people feasted on the tales that remained one sided considering that the Olympian was focused on winning the gold in the 2024 Parish Olympics.
In his bid to muster all the strength he needs in the tough competitions, Carlos Edriel Poquiz Yulo decided to drop his Japanese coach Munehiro Kugimiya and tapped his Filipino coach Aldrin Castaneda to handle him in the 2024 Paris Olympics. It was revealed later that one of the reasons he dropped his Japanese coach was his intervention in his personal relations with Chloe Anjeleigh San Jose who he revealed is his source of strength. Part of his struggle is his having no support while in Japan where he was struck with depression as he encountered language barrier with his fellow Japanese gymnasts.
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