YULO’S ‘YOLO’
The closest I ever got to being a gymnast was when I was a child of about 9 or 10. In a game of “hide and seek,” I chose to climb a guava tree and clung to the topmost branch with my two hands. Of course, my playmates couldn’t see me. I was hanging on to that branch the entire game. Which was a good thing, because they didn’t see my face contorted into all sorts of anguish from the strain of holding my weight up for so long. Eventually I had to let go and plummeted a good 10 feet, and if the Olympics judges rated my poise-less jump, they would have given me a “10” for sheer comedic relief.
Being a child in the Philippines means you have about a 99-percent chance of being quite adept at basketball, if you’re male, and about a 99-percent chance of being great at dancing the “Apt.” song by Rose and Bruno Mars, if you’re a female. Before Carlos Yulo completed his legendary double-gold run at the recent Paris Olympics, many of us weren’t aware of the state of gymnastics as a sport here in the Philippines. The truth is, gymnastics has always been here with us, because the sport is perfect for our physique and diverse physical capabilities (strength and stamina in basketball, flexibility and creativity in dancing). Gymnastics has always loved us, but it had to take a diminutive yet exceptional athlete like Carlos to show us that we only had to love the sport back to reap the global fame, fortune and glory.
This is what Carlos has been busy doing after returning to the Philippines from Paris, in between special appearances and training for his next competitions. He has been advocating for the development of the gymnastics program in the country by being hands-on in seeking out and training future Filipino gymnastics superstars.
Last Nov. 15, I found Carlos at the sprawling and sweltering 2,300-sqm Gymnastics Association of the Philippines’ (GAP) MVPSF Gym in Intramuros, Manila, busy training, motivating, and inspiring aspiring child athletes 7 to 16 years old from Metro Manila, Davao, and Cebu.
Carlos, along with his coaching, fitness, and nutrition crew, was at this gym as part of his team’s advocacy “The Dual Hero Project.” The project entailed holding a 2-day gymnastics clinic for aspiring athletes and gymnasts, encompassing three intensive training sessions and activities with the two-time Olympic Gold medalist and his team. Carlos’ Hero Project is included in Toyota’s global “Start Your Impossible” (SYI) program that empowers athletes to not only pursue sports excellence but also to become advocates of social good.
Carlos’ rendezvous with the kids was made possible by Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP). Carlos, a Global Team Toyota Athlete, initiated the training of the gymnasts with the help of his coaching team led by coach Aldrin Castaneda of GAP. Aside from the guidance of the coaching staff, sports nutritionist Jeaneth Aro also gave valuable advice to the athletes and their parents. I was able to briefly chat with Aro, asking her about the vegan Olympic athletes from other countries, but this is a topic for another story.
Despite his 4-foot 10-inch frame, Carlos commanded a larger-than-life presence, and the kids’ admiration for the bemedalled athlete was palpable. For the warmup session, which I think took over two hours, Carlos was all smiles approaching each of the 30 kids, teaching them proper forms for flexibility and strength. Our group of motoring journalists who attended this first day of the training observed that the kids did all they could to get Carlos’ warm approval—the heat inside the gym be damned. Yes, it was oven hot inside the gym, but we surmised this was the optimal training temperature for young muscles and minds to perform at their best (we think). All the same, I think we journalists gulped down more ice-cold sports drinks than the kids.
Carlos’ commitment to these young athletes extends far beyond this occasion. He has made it clear that he intends to give back to the community, to inspire and empower young gymnasts by providing them opportunities to help them become better athletes.
In his remarks earlier that morning, Carlos said: “It is an honor to be part of the Toyota Dual Hero Project. This initiative means so much to me, not just as an athlete but as someone who deeply believes in the power of sport to inspire change and uplift our communities. I wish to share with all of you that my double gold victory in the Olympics has been a dream come true. But I also want you to know that today, another dream of mine is also coming true, and that is being able to help, in any way possible, the development of Philippine gymnastics, and to share with you, my future gymnastics champions, my knowledge and skills.”
Carlos encouraged the kids “to be champions not just in sports, but champions of social change.”
He added, “Under Toyota’s SYI campaign, I recognize my responsibility as a Dual Hero—to not only compete and win but to uplift and mentor the next generation of athletes.”
TMP president Masando Hashimoto said: “To our young gymnasts here today, our future champions and medalists, congratulations for completing the Toyota SYI Gymnastics Camp. You learned from no other than the Philippines’ best gymnast! We hope you remember this experience always!”
Toyota and sports are inseparable. Inside the Toyota House in Paris, during my visit for the opening ceremonies of the 2024 Olympics, space was dedicated to the Global Team Toyota Athletes, and visitors glimpsed the company’s long involvement in the world’s greatest sporting event, and in the athletes’ lives themselves. For instance, an image from 1937 shows the founding of the athletics club, as inaugurated by Kiichiro Toyoda. Another image from a year later, in 1938, shows the Judo club born as an extension of the athletics club. The Toyota House includes the founding of the baseball club in 1947. In 1948, the men’s basketball team the Toyota Pacers was founded (re-named Alvaro in 2000).
In a statement published at Toyota Times, Toyota says sports have the ability to build team spirit, boost athletes’ and spectators’ motivations, develop better business people, and support local communities. “Through sports, our employees develop a spirited mentality capable of overcoming difficult challenges, by building a competitive approach into work practices. That spirit was present from the very early days of Toyota and drove company founder Kiichiro Toyoda to organize the company’s first sports club, the track and field club, the same year as the company’s founding in 1937. Since then, Toyota and its sports teams have grown and developed together,” the statement said.
“Since the company was founded, Toyota has experienced various difficulties,” Toyota chair Akio Toyoda was quoted as saying (when he was still president and CEO). “And whenever we went through times of trouble, sports have always been there to encourage us. The two teams, the auto company and the sports team, have always been inseparable; they always pushed each other to continue, as their paths overlapped.”
In 1964, as Tokyo hosted the Olympic and Paralympic Games, Toyota also helped establish a corporate-backed sports league, called the Japan League, to allow companies nationwide to come together in friendly competition. This not only helped build solidarity among Toyota’s employees, but also helped consolidate the economic industry in Japan.
In 2015, Toyota showed its continued long-term commitment to global sports as the mobility company signed on to become the official worldwide mobility partner of the International Olympic and Paralympic Committees for 2017 to 2024, covering the 2018 PyeongChang and the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, and the 2020 Tokyo and 2024 Paris Summer Olympics.
Closer to home, we could see Carlos embodying the competitive and community-building spirit of Toyota, one inspired child at a time. This is Carlos’ “YOLO” moment, his “you only live (and lead) once” attempt at legacy building. And right now, his form is uber-impeccable.
