Despite family wounds, Carlos Yulo exudes gratitude as PSA Athlete of the Year

This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.

Though he did not mention his family members in his acceptance speech, 2024 PSA Athlete of the Year Carlos Yulo takes interviews and pictures with his brother Eldrew, perhaps hinting at healing in the near future

MANILA, Philippines – Carlos Yulo stood tallest among all-time giants of Philippine sports at the 2024 Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Awards Night as he was feted as the obvious, undisputed choice for Athlete of the Year following a stunning double-gold coup at the Paris Olympics.

At the very end of the near-three-hour program that honored champions, legends, Olympians dating back to the 1968 Mexico Games, Yulo finally stood — his 4-foot-11 frame seemingly towering under the lone spotlight — to give his acceptance speech.

“I’ll just keep it short because I really just want to thank the Lord for all the blessings from the challenges he gave me in my life,” he said in Filipino. “With all the hardships and exhaustion, it was all worth it since I achieved this alongside important people in my life.”

With the audience intently listening, Yulo gave credit to his coaches, Gymnastics Association of the Philippines (GAP) president Cynthia Carrion, his teammates, and his ever-supportive partner, Chloe San Jose.

The elephant in the room, however, passed by with silent stomps: Yulo still did not mention any of his family members, many of whom have been estranged from him since their much-publicized rift.

Carlos, however extended an olive branch after the program, as he posed for a photo and took interviews with his younger brother Eldrew, who was also in attendance as a PSA special citation awardee.

Talking to a smothering scrum of reporters at the Manila Hotel, Carlos praised Eldrew as part of the “next generation” of athletes and hoped they can both be podium finishers in future Olympics.

“It’s an amazing dream. I will make it possible even though it seems impossible. I will train hard, push myself to make that become possible,” Eldrew said.

Carlos and Eldrew were the only Yulo family members in attendance, with both their parents absent from the festivities, even though major award winners were always granted multiple guests.

As always, only time will tell whether or not the family rift will die down, but for sure, both Carlos and Eldrew will remain as top contenders in world-class gymnastics competitions in the next decade and beyond. – Rappler.com