THE resurgence is imminent.
Caloy Yulo returned from what was considered a letdown in Liverpool not as a man clueless in defeat, but one who had all the answers.
He admitted lapses in training and during competition. He underscored the room to grow, grading his two-medal performance at 75 percent. He talked about a whole lot of lessons learned, relishing the experience of competing against a full field of gymnastics stars.
The 22-year-old Olympian says he now understands the mind is the battlefield.
It was almost a guarantee. He will be back on top.
“Kasama ito sa journey ko at sa pagiging atleta ko. Normal naman ’yung ganitong pangyayari. Mas magiging careful po ako next time. Sa practice, mas gagawin kong pulido ’yung skills na gagawin ko,”
“Puro lessons nakuha ko this time … Hindi man nakakuha ng medals. Siyempre disappointed sa nagawa ko pero wala na po, ganun talaga,” he added.
It was not the glittering finish anticipated, but Yulo still had a stellar year.
A five-gold haul in the Southeast Asian Games — the second straight edition of the biennial regional games that he ended up as the Philippines’ most bemedalled athlete.
Victory in the elite Japan nationals.
Golden treble in the Asian meet.
A silver and a bronze in the world championships.
For his exploits in 2022, Yulo has been lined up among Spin.ph’s Sportsmen of the Year.
Spin.ph History Maker of 2022, Yulo vowed to be even stronger, both physically and mentally as he sets his sights on loftier goals.
The Paris Olympics beckons, and ahead of that a handful of elite events.
Now 22, Yulo said it was good to test himself against a field bannered by the Olympic champion and is he is eager to go again.
“May pagkukulang din ako sa practice. Labanan talaga ng utak ito kasi tuluy-tuloy ’yung competition. Medyo napagod na rin ‘yung katawan ko sa pagfo-focus. Hindi naman talaga madali ‘yung palaging naka-focus. Medyo mas nakakapagod kapag mentally drained kesa physically. Sobrang hirap nun.”
“Nagulat din ako kasi tumatapat na din ako sa kanila … Nakita ko naman din ‘yung improvements ko. In a way, it’s really great ‘yung mga na-experience ko sa world championships.”
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