Philippines dreams of Olympic gold after Carlos Yulo heroics, as Manny Pacquiao calls for boost in sporting resources
- The 19-year-old won gold in the men’s floor exercise at the world championships, making him one of the favourites for Tokyo 2020
- Pacquiao, in his capacity as a senator, says the country should focus more on sports in which Filipinos excel at international level
While enthusiasm remains high for a healthy haul of gold medals at the November 30 to December 11 Games in and around Manila, Filipinos are now daring to look beyond regional glory after some of their top athletes recently raised hopes of a first-ever gold at Olympic level.
At the top of the list is gymnast Carlos Yulo, who has emerged as a genuine contender at the Tokyo Olympic Games after his stunning victory in the floor exercise at the recent world championships in Stuttgart, Germany.
Yulo’s triumph was the first gold-medal performance by a Filipino at the worlds, and even managed to rise above the efforts of boxers Nesthy Petecio and Eumir Marcial, who won women’s gold and men’s silver at the Aiba World Championships respectively.
“Praying this will lead to our first ever Olympic Gold in Tokyo!” tweeted well-known Filipino sporting commentator TJ Manotoc, who made sure he hammered home the significance of a world championship gold medal to compatriots who may otherwise had dismissed Yulo’s efforts.
“But for those who know, this world championship gold is pretty much the same thing [as Olympic gold] coz it’s vs pretty much the same competition with everyone giving their all! Congrats Carlo!”