[Rappler’s Best] Yes, we can

At some point in his storied life, Carlos “Caloy” Yulo decided to heal his heart and mind and walk away from a cage of conventions, the bashers be damned. The effort — bewildering and risky to some — paid off this glorious weekend in a stunning back-to-back victory on the floor and the vaulting table, giving the Philippines not only its first gold in Olympic gymnastics but also its first double gold in the world’s most prestigious games.

He is, indeed, the sum of all his parts. Here’s a list of the medals that Caloy has earned the hard way in the last five years. (Read everything about him in our people page. Check the latest on the Paris Olympics here as well as updated medal tally.)

The historic feat of the 24-year-old star gymnast is an epic reminder of what is often neglected and forgotten in the world of sports: the value of support and platform for athletes, and their mental and emotional well-being.

• In 2012, a then-12-year-old Caloy joined the gymnastic competitions in that year’s Palarong Pambansa held in Pangasinan, representing the National Capital Region. Watch all of his innocent, bubbly self here — and listen to his big dreams. 
• We were able to feature Caloy at the time because that was also the first year of Rappler’s partnership with the Department of Education (DepEd) to drum up interest in the nationwide sports event that brings together top elementary and high school athletes. Forged under the administration of the late former president Benigno Aquino III, the partnership recognized the need to reignite buzz around Palaro. Former president Rodrigo Duterte arbitrarily ended it at the height of his attacks against us. It got so bad that in 2018, the DepEd restricted our access to cover the games. 
• But we continued to tell the inspiring stories from Palaro. As Rappler sports editor Jasmine Payo wrote in her newsletter last May, while we were preparing for this year’s Palarong Pambansa coverage: “Why cover the regional games? You never really know if you’re actually watching the next world champion.”

We followed Caloy’s journey from his world championship gold in 2019 to his victories in the Southeast Asian Games to his settling for bronze in Antwerp to his comeback in the Doha World Cup and Asian Championships — and to when he fell short in his signature floor exercise event in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. (Watch Caloy in the 2019 SEA Games here.)

In an uncanny way, Tokyo was a moment that Caloy and the GOAT Simone Biles shared: a stumble that caused deep pain and broke them, albeit temporarily. In Tokyo, Caloy had a disappointing finish; Biles dropped out at the opening event as she struggled with her mental health. The two got clobbered in the toxic universe that is social media.

I can’t help but compare their journeys as I was watching the Netflix documentary on Biles on Sunday. Both carried invisible injuries in their hearts and minds. Yet, both were blessed with courage that made them choose to allow themselves time to heal.

In May, two months before the Paris Olympics, Caloy decided to tell all in a heartwarming interview with Rappler sports editor Jasmine Payo and reporter Delfin Dioquino. He had by then had a falling out with his managers, he had left the world-class training facilities of Tokyo and returned to Manila, and he had been feuding with some family members.

But he found love. And he was home. And to him, that’s all that mattered. He knew, Caloy told Rappler, that the only way to get back to his old competitive form was to clear his head, release his anger, and find his joy. That self-discovery explains the grace and focus that earned him — and his country — two golds. Watch the full interview here.

• Two of our women boxers also nailed a guaranteed medal: Aira Villegas, who survived a close bout with France, and Nesthy Petecio, who crushed her Chinese opponent in the quarterfinals. 
• Villegas guns for gold on Wednesday, August 7 (Manila time), while Petecio battles a Polish boxer on Thursday, August 8 (Manila time).
• Pole vaulter EJ Obiena also stays in the hunt for an Olympic medal, gunning for it on Tuesday, August 6 (Manila time).

On the other side of the world, a prisoner swap between Russia and the West reconciled traumatized detainees with their families. But darker clouds loom in the Middle East following the assassination of Hamas’ political chief in Iran and its military leader in Gaza. Anticipating retaliation from Iran and its allies, the US has deployed more warships and fighter jets to the region.

But first, we celebrate Paris and look forward to our athletes adding to our gold haul this week. This is where we say: Ang sarap maging Pilipino. – Rappler.com

Rappler’s Best is a weekly newsletter of our top picks delivered straight to your inbox every Monday.

To subscribe, visit rappler.com/profile and click the Newsletters tab. You need a Rappler account and you must log in to manage your newsletter subscriptions.