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!”
Yulo was set to return to the Philippines on Tuesday, having been away from his family since January to work under Japanese coach Munehiro Kugimiya.
The 19-year-old Yulo won the competition with a score of 15.300, beating Israel’s Artem Dolgopyat (15.200) and China’s Ruoteng Xiao (14.933).
Pacquiao, meanwhile, said in his capacity as a Philippines senator that Yulo’s triumph, along with the successes of Petecio and Marcial, proves that sports authorities should divert funds to disciplines that favour athletes who can compete at international level. And he admitted it meant moving away from a sport he loves – basketball.
“Just like many Filipinos, I love basketball and there is nothing wrong with it. But as far as the government’s sports development policy is concerned, we should refocus our resources and energy on other sports because there is no way that we could beat bigger and faster players in world basketball,” Pacquiao was quoted as saying by the Inquirer.
Yulo and Petecio will receive 1 million Philippine pesos (HK$152,000) each for their golds while Marcial earns 500,000 pesos.
Filipinos celebrated online, with one user crediting his gold with the fact that he trained in Japan and was therefore devoid of political interference.
The user, going by the name of Marializ Mercader, wrote: “Congratulations. This is what we get, if we have the proper formula; 1. No Politics; 2. Constant Correct Practice; 3. Discipline, Patience, Hard work and Perseverance; 4. Support and Understanding from Family, Friends and Government. So proud of you.”
