MVPSF boosts Yulo training; rowers off to Tacloban

An Olympics postponed by a pandemic has brought its share of problems. Help, however, keeps pouring in.

Gymnast Carlos Yulo, a world champion who remains one of the country’s brightest hopes for an Olympic gold, got a much-needed boost for an extended training period courtesy of the MVP Sports Foundation (MVPSF), even as the Philippine Canoe Kayak and Dragonboat Federation (PCKDF) rushed to the aid of its Tokyo-aiming athletes.

Yulo, who has set up camp in Tokyo, received P800,000 from the MVPSF, an amount that should help tide him over the additional months he has to spend preparing for the Olympics, which was pushed to July next year due to the coronavirus health crisis.

“The MVPSF wants to make sure that our athletes still get the best training possible even as we face the current COVID pandemic,” MVPSF president Al Panlilio said in a statement. “Even with his busy schedule, our chairman Manny V. Pangilinan makes it a point to check on our athletes and teams from time to time just to make sure all is well. We at MVPSF follow MVP’s example and that’s why we take great pride in taking care of our athletes.”

PCKDF head coach Len Escollante, meanwhile, said the federation sent Hermie Macaranas and Ojay Fuentes packing their bags and setting up camp in a remote area in Tacloban City to resume their bid for an expected Olympic qualifying meet.

The series of lockdowns has prompted these national paddlers to abandon their training venues in Metro Manila and settle in the province, hoping it would keep them out of harm’s way during the pandemic.

“We have decided to bring our paddlers here in Tacloban where they can train with minimal fear of getting infected,” Escollante said. “We don’t want Hermie and Ojay to lag in their preparation for the Olympic qualifiers.”

Prior to the pandemic, the pair used to train at the Taytay, Rizal, stretch of the Pasig River and in Manila Bay.Yulo, 20, bagged the gold medal in the 2019 World Championships in Stuttgart for the floor exercise.

“His sole focus should be on his quest to win an Olympic medal and we’ll do our best to take care of the rest,” Panlilio said.