ETCHING HIS name in the history books, Filipino gymnast Carlos Edriel “Caloy” Yulo captured the gold medal in the Gymnastics Men’s floor exercise final of the 2024 Summer Olympics. Yulo’s golden moment took place earlier tonight at the Bercy Arena in Paris, France.

The monumental achievement of the Filipino gymnast is only the second-ever Olympic gold medal in the history of the Philippines, following Hidilyn Diaz’s winning performance in 2021 at the Tokyo 2020 Women’s 55kg weightlifting competition. Additionally, the victory officially puts the Philippines in the Paris medal tally after one week of Olympic action.

Performing third in the sequence for the event, Yulo’s target score to beat came on early from defending champion, Israel’s Artem Dolgopyat, who scored an impressive 14.966 with his routine.

In a resounding response, the Filipino executed a flawless and graceful sequence of flips and turns to land himself a staggering 15.000 points to decisively take the lead.

As the contest marched on, Yulo’s score would prove too hard to beat for the five remaining gymnasts, even for Great Britain’s Jake Jarman—who topped the event in the qualifying round—after only scoring 14.933. The final image of an emotional Yulo fulfilling his and his nation’s dream will be a memory that will hold much significance to the Filipino people for years to come.

Sharing his immediate reaction in an interview with One Sports, the new Olympic champion expressed the gratitude and shock he felt after winning the historic gold. “Hindi ko po talaga alam kung paano ko iti-take [in ito], pero alam ko sa sarili ko na binigay ‘to sa’kin ni Lord. Deserve ko ‘to,” Yulo shared.

(I am really not sure how I am going to take this in, but I know for myself that the Lord gave me this. I deserve this.)

Looking to add another medal to the Philippines’ tally, Yulo will once again compete as one of the top favorites to win the Men’s vault finals later tonight at 10:24 PM.