Double Olympic gold medalist Carlos Yulo had nothing but good things to say about his younger brother Eldrew after the 3rd FIG Artistic Gymnastics Junior World Championships.
It seems like success has now become synonymous with Yulo name after 17-year-old Eldrew made history after a double-bronze medal finish in the 3rd FIG Artistic Gymnastics Junior World Championships in Newport, Pasay.
And no one could be more prouder than his older brother Carlos.
As the country’s only double Olympic gold medalist, Carlos has made history of his own. But seeing his younger brother achieve greatness in his own right was truly a sight to see.
Adding even more color to Eldrew’s success was that he did so even when he suffered a minor injury, hurting his right ankle midway through the tournament before he even bagged his medals.
[RELATED: Eldrew Yulo caps Junior World Championships with a second bronze medal in horizontal bar]
For Carlos, Eldrew's perseverance through the pain made his wins all the more impressive.
“Sobrang nakaka-proud po. For sure, hindi niya naabot yung gusto niya para sa gold, gawa na rin ng may injury siya pero para sakin, hindi yun yung resulta, pero kung paano niya sinwitch yung mindset niya from baba to angat,” Carlos told media after celebrating with Eldrew.
“Syempre, hindi rin naman po madali yun, and super proud po para sa ginawa niya today, hindi siya nagpatalo sa sarili niya. Hinanap niya kung ano talaga yung gusto niya.”
Eldrew competed in two finals on Monday, marking the last day of the five-day competition — with the first being one of his pet events, vault.
Owing to his injury, Eldrew struggled performing more difficult vaults, which did end up hurting his final score as he finished just outside the podium at 4th. But at the end of the day, he was able to turn up the ante and recover for the horizontal bar.
Eldrew’s focus, which also gave the hometown crowd lots to cheer for as the event wrapped up, made Carlos even more impressed at what his brother was able to do.
“Nag-stay siya, nag-focus siya para sa high bar and nakakabilib yung pinakita niya talaga, sobrang nakaka-proud and super happy po,” he said.
Confidence booster
Turning 18 soon, Eldrew will be joining Carlos in the senior ranks not long now, and after an impressive stint in the Junior Worlds, Carlos believes that his brother will be able to rise to the occasion even more.
Having enjoyed similar success earlier in his junior days, Carlos knows the importance of having these types of experience and how they can be beneficial for more victories.
As Eldrew now goes through the same journey, the Olympic champion knows it’ll only lift his brother up.
“Mas magiging confident pa siya niyan sa mga susunod. Siya din, may mga resibo na siyang nabibilang po ba, and alam niya yun sa sarili niya na sa next time na magco-compete siya is mas motivated, mas confident,” said Carlos.
“Alam ko na masipag na bata si Drew, at alam kong mataas din yung pangarap niya para sa gymnastics niya and hino-hope ko lang na maging safe lang at ma-enjoy niya yung journey niya.”
—
Luisa Morales is a sports writer with a special interest in promoting women’s sports.
Her coverage highlights include the UAAP, PVL, Southeast Asian Games, and the FIBA World Cup. She also follows Alex Eala, the Philippine women’s national football team, and mixed martial arts.