MANILA, Philippines — Fresh from his World Championship feat, Filipino ace gymnast Caloy Yulo is targeting an Olympic gold medal and a spot in the individual all-around finals in the 2024 Paris Games next.
“Next goals ko to win a gold medal and make the finals of the individual all-around in the 2024 Paris Games,” said Yulo during last night’s online presser hosted by Gymnastics Association of the Philippines president Cynthia Carrion.
Yulo, who copped a vault gold and a parallel bars silver in the world joust in Kitakyushu, Japan a few days back, said he has drawn inspiration from weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz’s historic golden effort in the Tokyo Games.
“Nakaka-inspire po si Ate Hidilyn. Gusto ko yung ganung feeling, parang gutom, nakakainggit,” said Yulo.
Firstly, Yulo will have a busy 2022. He competes in the Hanoi Southeast Asian Games in May, the Hangzhou Asian Games in September and later the world joust.
Meanwhile, major sports backer Smart/PLDT lauded Yulo for his triumph.
“Caloy has made us proud beyond words. From 2017, when we took him under our wings, we have witnessed his growth in strength and maturity through his discipline, grit and determination. We are with him all the way as he realizes his dream of making it to the 2024 Paris Olympics,” said Al Panlilio, PLDT Inc. and Smart Communications president and CEO.
“Caloy reflects what Filipino athletes are about – lumalaban ng buong puso para sa Pilipinas. We hope that his win inspires the Filipino youth, especially those who dream of becoming a world-class athlete,” added Panlilio, who also serves as MVP Sports Foundation president and Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) first vice president.