"I accept it all first"- Carlos Yulo speaks on facing struggles from being allegedly robbed by his mother to split with coach ahead of Paris Olympics
Filipino gymnast Carlos Yulo recently opened up about overcoming the adversities he faced that led to his parting ways with his coach ahead of the Paris Olympics. The gymnast produced a string of terrific performances in the French capital, winning two golds.
The first of these came in the men's floor exercise, where he registered a score of 15.000. He defeated Artem Dolgopyat and Harry Hepworth, who attained scores of 14.966 and 14.933, securing second and third place, respectively. The 24-year-old clinched his second gold in the men's vault event, where he secured a score of 15.116, besting Dolgopyat and Hepworth again, who scored 14.966 and 14.949 points, respectively.
Yulo recently sat in a conversation with The Manila Times, where he opened up about how he faced the trials and tribulations after he was robbed by his mother, who had access to his bank account and his monthly allowances for gymnastics. He recently took to TikTok and shared a video, explaining the situation. (as quoted by the Hindustan Times)
"Apart from the incentives, my mom also had access to my bank account and my monthly allowances for gymnastics. When I finally got control of that bank account, I found out she had been draining it. I have the bank statements showing the withdrawals she made," said Yulo.
Days later, he explained about how he overcame the challenges by accepting his fate and giving his best in every competition.
"I accept it all first; for me, life is not about winning all the time. It is sports. I know that I gave my best all the time in every competition. So, whether good or bad, I embraced it," said Carlos Yulo.
He also spoke about the changes that he brought in his training for the Paris Olympics:
"I made my mind stronger. I am more prepared mentally. I am prepared for all the challenges. That is what is different."
Carlos Yulo opened up about his gold medal win at the Paris Olympics
After winning two gold medals at the Paris Olympics, Carlos Yulo reflected on the win in the post-event interview. He dedicated this win to the "Filipino people" and called it a "bonus" for himself.
"I don't know what to say," said Carlos Yulo as quoted by Reuters. "We are a really small country... So to be able to get a gold medal for us is big for us, huge. I dedicate this to the Filipino people also who supported me."
He added:
"It's just a bonus for me. And this is what really matters. My hard work and the people who really helped me. I know my success is also their success... I'm happy that I won gold. And I also won a house."
Carlos Yulo is just the second Filipino to win an Olympic gold medal and is the first one to win two gold medals at the Olympics. The 24-year-old won a fully furnished two-bedroom condo at the Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.