‘Giant feat’: Carlos Yulo hailed 2024 PSA Athlete of the Year

MANILA, Philippines – It’s a feat the Philippines has never done before in the annals of the world’s biggest sporting event. 

So when Carlos Yulo made history as the first Filipino athlete to win two gold medals in the Olympics, the gymnastics superstar easily became the top choice for the 2024 Athlete of the Year honor given by the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) in its coming Awards Night on January 27 at the Centennial Hall of the Manila Hotel.

Yulo scored the rare double gold by topping the men’s floor exercise and vault in the Paris Olympics — a fitting exploit celebrating the Philippines’ 100 years of participation in the Summer Games.

The 24-year-old dynamo’s triumph was also a fitting follow up on weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz ending the country’s search for its first Olympic gold during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics when she triumphed in the women’s 55kg class final in dramatic fashion.

“From a great Olympic performance to an even greater Olympic show, and from one big breakthrough to an even bigger breakthrough — thanks to Carlos Yulo whose giant feat we will celebrate in handing him our highest accolades,” said PSA president Nelson Beltran, sports editor of The Philippine Star. 

Yulo became the first gymnast since young Pia Adelle Reyes in 1997 to be recognized as Athlete of the Year by the country’s oldest media organization in its traditional gala night backed by San Miguel Corporation and co-presented by ArenaPlus, Cignal, and MediaQuest.

Aside from the Athlete of the Year, several other awards are lined up, including the NSA of the Year, Major Awardees in other sports, President’s Award, Executive of the Year, Citations, Tony Siddayao Awards, as well as the Hall of Fame and Special Recognition to past and present Filipino Olympians.

In recognizing the best in Philippines sports for the year 2024, the country’s top sports officials will also grace the formal event where the Philippine Sports Commission, Philippine Olympic Committee, MILO, PLDT/Smart, Senator Bong Go, and Januarius Holdings serve as major sponsors and with support from the PBA, PVL, 1-Pacman Party List, AcroCity, Rain or Shine, and Akari.

After a disappointing finish in the floor exercise in the Tokyo Games, Yulo emerged on top of his pet event by compiling a scoring total of 15.000 points, beating reigning champion Artem Dolgopyat of Israel (14.966) for the Philippines’ first gold in Paris.

The euphoria of becoming the first Filipino gymnast to win an Olympic gold has yet to die down when Yulo added another mint to his collection by ruling the men’s vault final with a 15.116 total over Arthur Davtyan of Armenia (14.966).

Back in 2021 in Tokyo, the gymnast from Leveriza, Manila had his first taste of Olympic competitions, eventually only qualifying in the men’s vault final and falling short of a podium finish.

But just a few years later, Yulo came back with vengeance in his eyes, even rewriting history and lining himself up as one of the greatest, if not the greatest, Filipino athletes of all time. – Rappler.com