Cursed

Carlos Edriel Yulo flashed back his not-so-old brilliance to recapture the floor exercise gold in the Gymnastics World Cup in Qatar, vaulted to bronze and snatched the silver in the parallel bars to wrap up his best ever medal haul in the worlds.

But in Tokyo two years ago, the Filipino dynamo bombed out of medal contention in his favorite floor exercise, even if two years before he became the first Southeast Asian to win gold in the worlds for executing exquisite performance on the floor, not wearing Versace but the national color. He attempted at redemption in the vault but narrowly missed the podium, went home empty handed but not bullheaded.

The year after he vaulted back to gold in the worlds and won silver in the parallel bars.

And now he just won all colors – gold, silver and bronze. Most decorated but outside Olympics, the one that matters. But the 23-year old will have another chance to medal in Paris next year where he remains the country’s golden hope, without reference to the young beautiful star who fixed her career even if it ain’t broke. But why it hit the headlines shows how Filipino heads are aligned. Or misaligned.

The diminutive gigantic Filipino is not alone. With him are Hidilyn Diaz who could be lifting her last, EJ Obiena and the pint-sized boxers. But there is no guarantee, the Olympiad frustrates, celebrates and surprises. It is the ultimate test of the best of the best of the best. Where, being the best is not enough. It could also be luck, in reality the product of hard work without which it is fluke. Or flake.

Or freak, some greats failed in the Olympics. Jamaican Merlene Ottey won the century dash anywhere and elsewhere except the Olympics and the worlds where she each lost the gold to a hurdler by a hairline. Literally. Neither Novak Djokovic nor Roger Federer won a singles gold in the quadrennial games. It happens to the best of men or women. Even the best legal minds did not ace the bar, but reached far, while those who topped just stopped.

So now the momentum is with Yulo. But how to hold on to it for a long time and peak at the right time is a question answered only by time. Anything happens between now and July next year, like possibility of injury or certainty of a country without mercy. Should Carlos fail to medal in Paris again, he sure would be distraught.

Who wouldn’t be, he did everything to be the best at one thing but still ended up with nothing, Must be bad luck, all things being equal. But unequal for Yulo to begin with, he lived with misfortune his entire life, especially as an athlete, having been born in a country he did not pick. No one chose to be born, but many allow to be torn. A few survive the storm. Yulo is one of them. Lucky us, unlucky him.