Another day for Filipino gymnast Carlos Yulo, and another Olympic gold medal for his performance. He became only the second athlete to take home the Games' top prize for his country.
A two-bedroom condo, thousands of dollars and a lifetime of free ramen are among the flurry of gifts that the government and local brands have pledged to reward the 24-year-old with for his historic wins in the men's floor exercise and vault events.
Yulo's feat has also made him the country's latest social media sensation.
"Another gold for the Philippines! History is made again! Ang galing galing mo! [You are incredible!]" wrote a user on X.
Yulo scored an average of 15.116 on the vault last 4 August, ahead of Armenia's Artur Davtyan (14.966) and Britain's Harry Hepworth (14.949).
He punched his arms into the air and embraced fellow athletes on hearing his score. He went into the competition without high expectations, he had told reporters.
"I was just hoping to perform well. I didn't really expect a medal," Yulo had said.
"It really felt like a bonus for me. It's crazy, because last night I couldn't sleep. I was so hyped because I had won that gold medal [the day before].
Barely 24 hours ago, Yulo had scooped the gold for the men's floor exercise with 15 points, edging out Artem Dolgopyat of Israel by just 0.034 of a point. Mr Dolgopyat had been the defending Olympic champion and world title holder.
Yulo's double gold feat is now the most discussed topic on X, formerly known as Twitter, in the Philippines.
"It took 100 years for us to hear Lupang Hinirang [the Philippines' national anthem] two nights in a row while the world is watching. Thank you so much for the pride and historic moment!" wrote an X user.
A century has passed since the Philippines' debut in the Olympics in 1924. Weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz earned the country's first Olympic gold medal in Tokyo three years ago.
The Philippine government will hand the gymnast 10 million Philippine pesos (US$ 173,300; £135,400) - a reward promised to any gold medalists - while a real estate firm has promised him a fully furnished two-bedroom unit at McKinley Hill, the largest condominium development in metropolitan Manila.
No comments:
Post a Comment