Carlos Yulo was among the notable recipients of Philippine Sportswriters Association’s (PSA) top honors on Friday night.
But like Olympic hopefuls Hidilyn Diaz, EJ Obiena, Margielyn Didal and Nesthy Petecio, Yulo, it turns out, was also busy preparing for the global event that kicks off in Tokyo, Japan, in July.
“You know, Caloy is very shy and he doesn’t want to lose focus,” said Cynthia Carrion, Gymnastics Association of the Philippines president during an interview with the Inquirer at Manila Hotel.
Carrion also said that they are keeping Yulo’s day-to-day agenda as simple as possible: “He goes to school. Then from school, he goes to training. Anywhere else, we don’t really allow him.”
These stringent measures, Carrion said, are all for “getting and keeping his energy.”
The 4-foot-11 dynamo booked his ticket to the Olympic games after his performance in the 49th FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Stuttgart, Germany, last October.
Before his bid in Tokyo, Yulo will see action in the Federation Internationale de Gymnastique World Cup in Baku, Azerbaijan, this March 12.
There, Yulo is expected to compete and work on his vault, parallel and high bar skills, according to Carrion.