Histwory

Anyone who now writes about Carlos Edriel Yulo punctuating a century of Philippine Olympic campaign with two gold medals will grope for words. The power and artistry of his performance are better appreciated when seen than written. Anyone who finds words to describe the gold rush flirts with redundancy.

For, the Filipino people have spoken well about how Yulo awed and gratified them, but unwell about acidic details of his domestic issues that should be left alone, they resolve on their own.

No one should have spoken about how they were broken. The world does not need to know, except those who know nothing about the world. It takes away bigger takeaway from his golden journey, his height, or the lack of it, that inherent limitation to a basketball country, except the genetic fluke of twin towers June Mar Fajardo and Kai Sotto.

Yulo stands about the average height of Filipino women, excluding his girlfriend who is taller than him. With colored hair. But just like issues at home, leave personal style alone, regardless of how it looks. It is a personal choice.

But being diminutive is not a choice. Being competitive is, more so where to compete in. Being short is not a misfortune, the vertically challenged are meant for sports where height is not might. Like gymnastics. Definitely not basketball, except the fluke of a skill that is Johnny Abarrientos.

Yulo’s lack of height brought him to gymnastic heights, until he earned three chances to medal in Paris. He finished way out of the podium in the individual all-around. No sting, he wasn’t expected to medal in the jack of all trades master of none top plum. He specializes in floor exercise where he floored the competition. Explosive. Maybe not as exquisite when he ruled the worlds before, but solid just the same, especially the dismount.

He ranked first, a position he could no longer defend. It all depended on how the next gymnasts perform. The nation watched, and waited, for the next four to bungle. No one did, but Carlos racked in enough points to rake in the gold.

Unlike in the worlds where the soft-spoken dynamo merely grinned wide after winning gold, now he disheveled his hair and cried a river. Of relief and disbelief. And the nation cried with him. Redemption too. He beat the defending champion from Tokyo where he failed to qualify for the finals.

In a night and day of national revelry, Yulo vaulted to gold again, with flair and precision to avenge his fourth place finish in Tokyo. How the twin gold happened in two days is answered by years of narrative that started with rejection. Of a seven year old innocent kid who dreamed to wear gold around his neck. Not the accessory gold necklace but the principal gold medal.

Now he wears it. On top of world podium. While the Philippine flag hoisted above all others. And the world listened to the national anthem of one of the shortest peoples on earth. Twice over. After a hundred years. All because of a 4’11” Filipino who now stands taller than his countrymen and fellowmen.