FROM the time Carlos Yulo won his first gold medal at the 20th Asian Games, this photo, taken from his winning performance in Nagoya that was posted by SPIN.ph and other media outlets, drew a lot of attention online.
Some sports officials frowned while advertising and network executives were, at the very least, left worried as the unflattering Yulo photo sparked debate online, serving as fodder for more vitriol and turned into memes by bashers but defended by others.
READ Yulo waited eight long years for Asiad redemption
It inevitably raised suspicion that perhaps, all these media outlets, by depicting Yulo at his worst aesthetically in what was supposed to be his best Asiad moment, have an axe to grind against the one-of-a-kind gymnastics champion.
But do they?
In an age where most celebrity posts, including some of Yulo's, are curated, SPIN.ph merely chose to highlight that one raw image that best captured the strength, strain, and willpower that make a champion athlete.
This moment - captured by the lens of POC pool photographer RM Chua - was neither staged nor contrived. This is the image of an athlete pushing himself to the very limit in pursuit of greatness. That is the unadulterated, unfiltered face of success.
Ask Yulo. Ask Pacquiao. Ask Eala, or any other athlete who choose to put in the work and chase their dreams.
They''ll tell you: The road to greatness is never pretty.
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