August 2024 will forever be remembered as the time Carlos Yulo took his place in the pantheon of greats.
The two-time gymnastics world champion from Leveriza Street in Malate, Manila carved his name in history when he flipped and twisted to Olympic gold in Paris in two of his pet events – the floor exercise (15.000) and vault (15.116).
Yulo’s dazzling show he performed over two unforgettable days in August in the City of Lights installed him as the greatest Philippine Olympian of all time.
He’s the first Pinoy to win two gold medals in the Olympiand, surpassing what everyone had achieved before him. He joined weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz, who scored the country’s breakthrough mint in Tokyo three years ago, in the elite club of Philippine Olympic champs.
Thanks to the 24-year-old Yulo, it was the best-ever showing for Team Philippines in a century of participation in the quadrennial Games.
And for that, Philippine Sportswriters’ Association is recognizing Yulo as its top achiever for the month of August.
Honorable mention were lady boxers Nesthy Petecio and Aira Villegas, who complemented the golden boy with bronze medals in the women’s 57kg and 50kg class, respectively.
Outside the Paris Games, it was 17-year-old golfer Rianne Malixi, obstacle course racer Precious Cabuya, and wushu athlete Jones Inso Llabre who shone brightest.
Malixi ruled the prestigious US Women’s Amateur crown in Tulsa, Oklahoma in a smashing follow up to her record-breaking triumph at the US Girls’ Junior tournament the previous month in California.
Cabuya reigned supreme in the OCR World Championship in Costa Rica in a new OCR 100m elite female world mark of 31.521 seconds while Inso Llabres topped the Men’s Chen Style 56 Movements category of the 4th World Taijiquan Championships in Singapore.
