MANILA, Philippines – The gymnastics partnership between the Philippines and Japan continues after the Olympic success of Carlos Yulo.
With the Filipino gymnast proving to be a “superb testament” to the sports ties of both countries, Philippine gymnastics received more assistance from Japan with the hopes of producing more international medalists.
Cynthia Carrion, president of the Gymnastics Association of the Philippines (GAP), said she has been in talks with Morinari Watanabe, the Japanese president of the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique (International Gymnastics Federation), over plans to further boost the sports program.
“We’re collaborating with Japan a lot…. We’re going to training camps in Japan. [Watanabe will] also be sending good coaches here for my other athletes as well,” said Carrion, noting that Japan had donated gymnastics equipment.
“We are not gonna stop now, we are going to go forward,” she added.
“Now that I’ve experienced what we can do with one Olympian, I think we should continue doing the same thing for the others.”
Before his historic Olympic romp in the 2024 Paris Games, Yulo studied and trained in Japan for nearly a decade, turning into a world-class gymnast under coach Munehiro Kugimiya.
“It excites me to know that it is in Japan where Carlos further honed his mind and body into becoming a champion through a scholarship that helped him on his winning path,” said Japan Ambassador to the Philippines Endo Kazuya in a recent celebration dinner hosted by the embassy.
“As he remains a superb testament to our countries’ people-to-people and cultural exchanges, Japan is deeply, deeply honored to have helped shape him into the best version of himself and become one of the finest athletes the sport has seen.”
Munehiro molded a then-teenage Yulo into an elite athlete, resulting in multiple international triumphs, including historic world championships in floor exercise (2019) and vault (2021).
Although Yulo parted ways with Munehiro in 2023 to return to Manila, their decade-long hard work clearly set the stage for his gold-winning Olympic performances in the same events, floor exercise and vault, in Paris.
“I would also like to congratulate my fellow Japanese who supported Carlos during his journey in Japan,” said Endo.
‘Professional beggar’
Carrion shared that it took a lot of financial support to produce a winning Olympian.
“In the making of a champion, we needed a lot of funding, and I started to search for funds. Unfortunately, I did not realize that I would become a professional beggar,” Carrion quipped.
“But a beggar with style and substance, because I believe I was doing it with honesty, with confidence — because I always tell them we’re going to win a medal for them — with transparency, in pursuit of excellence.”
GAP aims to strengthen its grassroots program, noting that it now has “a hundred of little boys” all training to “be like Carlos Yulo.”
Through Japan’s help, Carrion said GAP managed to set up another gym for young national prospects.
“Grassroots is very, very important. Right now, I have a hundred little boys that want to be like Carlos Yulo,” she said.
“Fortunately, Japan gave us some beautiful equipment for free. So, I have another gym for the grassroots alone because the Intramuros gym is for the elite athletes…. [The young talents are] doing very well, and I’m amazed that our grassroots [athletes] are really training daily. When I check on them, I’m shocked that they’re doing so well.” – Rappler.com
