Carlos Yulo, PH Olympians return home after historic Paris stint

Team Philippines’ Paris Olympics medalists: Nesthy Petecio, Carlos Yulo and Aira Villegas. –POC PHOTO

Carlos Yulo and Team Philippines will fly home to a grateful nation on the wings of a successful stint in the 2024 Paris Olympics and bearing with them the dreams of soaring higher four years from now in Los Angeles.

Team Philippines entered the Olympic Village carrying bold ambitions—outdoing a Tokyo Games result that was historic in its own way.

Yulo, the superstar gymnast, helped the country meet that objective by himself.

“I was just hoping to perform well. I didn’t really expect a medal. It really felt like a bonus for me,” Yulo said after claiming the vault gold—just a day after ruling the floor exercise—to become the country’s first multiple Olympic champion in history.

Yulo’s two golds and the two bronzes won by boxers Nesthy Petecio and Aira Villegas allowed this current Team Philippines to ease past Hidilyn Diaz’s Tokyo squad, which finished with one gold, Diaz’s pioneering weightlifting triumph, two silvers and a bronze.

“We’ve gone quality in Paris—in gymnastics, a blue-chip sport,” Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino said.

Medals nearly came for pole vault star EJ Obiena and golf ace Bianca Pagdanganan, who carried very little expectations but made the nation hold its breath for a while as she sat at third place in the final stretch of the women’s competition.

She missed the podium on a late birdie by Lin Xiyu Janet, who went after an eagle to try to force her way to the silver, tapped in for birdie and finished at 281 to rip away the bronze.

“I really wanted it,” the 26-year-old Pagdanganan said. “I wanted our [country’s] name up there.”They will get a chance to do so. Work begins immediately for Team Philippines to qualify as many athletes to the Los Angeles Games, with Yulo looking to lead the returnees.

“Definitely, I’ll be there, 100 percent,” said Yulo, who is set to receive a windfall that will set him for life. Obiena has vowed a comeback and weightlifting is looking to fix some issues within its federation that caused some problems in Paris.

Celebrate first

The boat carrying team Philippines makes its way down the Seine in Paris, France, during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024.(Associated Press Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Samahang Weightlifting ng Pilipinas chief Monico Puentevella said he will iron out those unnamed issues, which came to light over what lifter Vanessa Sarno called a “toxic environment” during the final stretch of her preparations for the Olympiad.

But Puentevella added there would be time for addressing those problems, and it won’t be so soon after Paris.

“I don’t want the issue to bring down our celebration of these wonderful two golds,” he told the Inquirer.

Yulo and his fellow Olympians will arrive home on Tuesday afternoon at Villamor Airbase, touching off a chain of festivities honoring Yulo’s greatness as the most accomplished Filipino in the Olympics.

The Philippines finished in a tie for 35th place with Hong Kong out of 184 competing nations.

“We’re the best performer in Southeast Asia and No. 7 in Asia,” Tolentino said.

Yulo will pay a courtesy call to President Marcos, who will most likely reward the gymnast his P20-million bonus from the government.

There will also be a parade for Yulo and the Olympians on Wednesday.

Speaker Martin Romualdez on Monday commended Filipino Olympians for their “indomitable spirit and unwavering dedication.”

“I commend all our athletes who gave their best in Paris, particularly EJ Obiena and Bianca Pagdanganan, who narrowly missed the podium but have inspired millions with their perseverance,” Romualdez said. —WITH REPORTS FROM JUNE NAVARRO, JEANETTE ANDRADE INQ