MANILA, Philippines — Filipino gymnast Carlos Yulowho won two gold medals at the Paris Olympics, flew home to a hero’s welcome Tuesday with a nationally televised tribute from the president and donors who pledged more than $1 million in cash and gifts, including a vacation home and free buffet lunches for life.
The 24-year-old’s victories in the men’s floor exercise and vault were the biggest victory ever achieved by a Filipino athlete since the Philippines joined the Games a century ago. Two Filipino boxers, Nesthy Petecio and Aira Villegas, won bronze medals in women’s boxing in Paris.
The euphoria over Yulo’s victories has provided respite to a nation long plagued by poverty, deep divisions and conflict.
Upon arriving in Manila, Yulo and the other Filipino athletes participating in the Olympics were greeted by fans waving flags, shaking hands and taking selfies. The athletes were welcomed by their families before heading to the Malacanang Palace, where President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. presented them with presidential citations and one million pesos each ($17,500).
But Yulo received 20 million pesos ($350,000) from Marcos, who acknowledged the difficulties the athletes endured and “no official technical support from the government,” a long-standing complaint.
“They did it alone. Of course, there are some who helped, sometimes the government can help, but there is no formal structure to help our athletes,” Marcos said, promising to fix it.
Cash and gifts separately promised by other government offices, business tycoons and leading Filipino corporations to Yulo, including a condo unit and a vacation home south of Manila, would amount to more than 58 million pesos (1 million of dollars). Notable companies offered free pizza, ice cream, and buffet lunches and dinners for life, plus free domestic and international flights.
Filipino boxing legend Manny Pacquiao, who rose to global fame for winning titles in eight different weight classes and for his rags-to-riches life story, promised to reward Yulo with an unspecified amount of cash.
A celebratory parade for Yulo and the other athletes on Wednesday through Manila’s main streets is expected to draw thousands of people. He will pass by a poor community where he grew up and first trained in gymnastics with his brothers in a public gym, where a coach first noticed the then 7-year-old’s impressive abilities.
“I will welcome him with a hug and we will jump together for joy,” Rodrigo Frisco, a 74-year-old relative, told The Associated Press in the neighborhood where the gold medalist has become a sign of hope. Who would believe that from these narrow alleys and small houses a champion would emerge?
weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz He won the first Olympic gold for the Philippines in Tokyo in 2021.
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