From the Rising Sun to a Rising Star

For seven years, Carlos Yulo, of Leveriza, Manila, trained in gymnastics in Tokyo, learning not just the language, but the impeccable discipline of the Japanese people. From the hardwood floors of the gym, training day in and day out, he has risen like the golden sun to become the best that he could be in the Paris 2024 Olympics, making history.

- JOANNE RAE M. RAMIREZ

“Japan is really special to my heart,” double Olympic gold medalist in gymnastics Carlos Yulo said at ceremonies before a dinner hosted for him by Japanese Ambassador Endo Kazuya at the Japanese Embassy residence in Makati.

In his speech, Ambassador Endo proudly told Carlos, “Carlos, this night belongs to you as we honor the hard work and sacrifices you have made for the gold and your goals. May your two medals always remind you of the two countries you’ve made prouder and closer with your exceptional achievements.”

“Japan really helped me to push my gymnastics, and of course my personality as well,” said the polite and deferential Carlos.

“I’m really grateful for the people that I met there and all the things I learned like skosh their culture, how they speak, how they move. I’m really grateful for that,” added the soft-spoken Carlos.

(According to the Merriam Webster online dictionary, skosh comes from the Japanese word sukoshi, which means “a tiny bit” or “a small amount.”) I suppose this means Carlos learned from the Japanese never to take anything in excess.