Meet Hazel Calawod, the sports therapist behind Carlos Yulo's Olympic journey
How did Carlos Yulo get in tip-top shape to take home two Olympic gold medals for the country? He had a supportive team, which included sports occupational therapist Lyn Hazel Calawod who helped him be at his best physically, mentally, and emotionally.
Calawod has been making the rounds online following Yulo's historic feat at this year's Olympics, making social media users curious about who she is and the role she played in the 24-year-old gymnast's successful Paris 2024 campaign.
The Australian therapist carries more than nine years of experience in the field. She is also a mental health advocate, which she incorporates in her work as a sports therapist for UFC fighters, Under Armour athletes, and e-sports players, among many others.
Sports is ‘embedded’ in her being
Sports has been a huge part of Calawod's life.
“I love sports na talaga since I was a kid,” the occupational therapist told PhilSTAR L!fe. After being a varsity swimmer in high school, she went on to join the Philippine national team for aero gymnastics.
“I also got invited to be part of aero gymnastics sa Philippine national team, but that was born out of my desire to be one of the best female freestylers ng generation ko because I got hooked into dancing when I was in college sa UP Manila,” she shared.
Calawod also dabbled in rock climbing and mixed martial arts, and is now taking an interest in tactical shooting as well as polo or horseback riding.
“[Sports are] deeply embedded in my DNA,” she said with a laugh.
A sports occupational therapist and model
Calawod wanted to go beyond sports and dig deeper into how the human mind plays an important part in training, so she decided to study the movement science. After earning her Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy from UP, she worked as an occupational therapist for kids with special healthcare needs and people with neurological disorders.
“But as I was working in that setting, there was a part of me that was unfulfilled,” she said. Stressing her love for sports, she recalled how she continued to take up courses related to the field by studying manual therapy, mental health, and other topics that explore the brain in 2014.
One of the notable courses she took was from Harvard University’s School of Public Health. “I have a very curious mind. I want to keep learning about how to solve people's problems because I always want to do what's best for them,” she said, sharing that she particularly enjoyed learning a framework on how to analyze a person or a group of people and practicing her problem-solving skills through case studies.
“I was able to see what how like from a human engineering perspective, like how to engineer a person and how to target the different aspects of what person needs,” she shared. “It was like a world of wonder for me.”
Calawod now owns a clinic called NeuroBalance Therapy as well as a specialized department known as Precision Sports.
Calawod has even worked with players in the e-sports scene. After working in Mineski and doing workshops for casters, she was tapped to be a sports mind coach for Bren Esports, a Valorant team that was hailed a Southeast Asian champion, in 2021.
When she's not busy with being a sports occupational therapist, she works as a model in commercials for big labels like Coca-Cola and Chippy as well as other brand photoshoots.
Journey to Carlos Yulo’s historic Olympic win
Calawod credits working as a sports occupational therapist for a two-time Olympic gold medalist as a result of two things: God and luck.
“God probably really put me in the timeline of this story, and number two, luck. I was in the right place at the right time,” Calawod told L!fe.
The 35-year-old recalled meeting the president of the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) at an international sports conference before the COVID-19 pandemic and later getting invited to serve as a commission member of the Aging Society Working Group.
A year later, she met Cynthia Carrion, the president of the Gymnastics Association of the Philippines, who eventually hired her as Yulo's sports therapist.
Calawod did not only focus on strength and conditioning—she also analyzed Yulo’s lifestyle and made sure they had a good group dynamic filled with mental, psychological, and emotional support.
She also made use of data science to determine the training system that Yulo needed for the Games. She also made it a point they had time for prayers as Yulo is a big believer of God. These factors helped her with her training plan for the athlete, which often changed depending on the his condition during the day.
Calawod also incorporated biomechanics into their training by figuring out the muscles that Yulo needed to activate for particular routines, which his other coaches polished during their sessions.
While she and Yulo faced numerous problem-solving situations in line with proper recovery, new methodology trainings, and the gymnastics strength and conditioning he needed to do, they were able to keep the atmosphere light all throughout by cracking jokes and simply enjoying each other’s company.
Yulo prepared for his Paris Olympics campaign by joining various other competitions such as the FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Cup Series in Doha, Qatar in April and the 2024 Asian Gymnastic Union, Men's Artistic Gymnastics the following month, where he emerged as a gold medalist. According to Calawod, these helped him perfect his routine and get used to competing .
The significance of Yulo’s win to Philippine sports
More than international recognition, Calawod believes that Yulo’s historic Olympic wins have opened opportunities and awareness of the Philippine sports industry.
“For me, this historic win has five meanings: One is that science is a superpower, and number two, through what we achieved this Olympics, there will be more interest in the development of the Philippine sports industry,” she said, adding that it could help Pinoy athletes get the attention and care they deserve.
“If that happened, I’m expecting and projecting na madaming mabibigay na medals ‘yung next generation of athletes. Kasi malakas talaga ang spirit ng Pinoy,” she shared.
Calawod also said that Yulo's recent feat also helped shed light on her profession as a sports occupational therapist. “I'm sure that a lot of occupational therapists are going to be excited that they will also have the potential to be integrated into the sports setting,” she continued.
“This historic win proves to me as a believer of God that [He] really writes the story, and [He] is the one mixing and matching, and providing all sorts of circumstances to create the story, and in this sense, God graced us with the beautiful historical moment for our country,” added Calawod.
After helping Yulo clinch two golds in his Paris Olympics campaign, Calawod shared that she would rest for a while and then push through with her mission to help more athletes in the future in her own ways.
“What I know in my heart is that I know I will continue my quest to build more champions with what I can offer as a professional,” she concluded.