Carlos Yulo didn't get enough sleep before his winning vault final
Carlos Yulo shared that he didn’t expect to clinch back-to-back gold medals at the Olympics, especially since he didn't get proper rest after his men's floor exercise final win.
The 24-year-old Olympian recalled his journey leading up to the final in an interview with sports reporter Dyan Castillejo.
“Ang hope ko lang po today and wish maging healthy and magandang performance lang po talaga, walang ma-aksidente sa ‘min. Hindi ko po in-expect na mag-gold medal po ako kasi medyo na-relax din po ako ako kahapon kasi parang nakuha ko na po eh [‘yung gold], but God is really great," he said.
Apart from initially being contented with his first Olympic gold, Yulo did not expect to win another medal because he didn’t get proper sleep before the competition.
“Feeling ko ‘yung nerves ko, hyped pa rin sila e,” he shared, adding that he needed to take “a lot of naps” before the competition.
"I slept in the bus, I slept after the podium training. I slept before going to the competition area. I kind of was napping for 15 to 20 minutes. I felt good after that and I just went for it," the Pinoy athlete said as per AFP.
Now that he had made history as the first gymnast and Filipino athlete to clinch two gold Olympic medals, Yulo expressed his gratitude to his team especially to Cynthia Carrion, head of the Gymnastics Association of the Philippines who gave their immense trust and support to him.
He also thanked his coaches, his girlfriend Chloe San Jose and her family, his team who helped him, and his Filipino supporters who supported his journey to clinching the gold Olympic medals.
In his interview with News5, Yulo said that he is dedicating his historic win not just to his supporters, but also to those who did not believe in him.
“Lahat ng struggle na binaba ako, lahat ng mga taong mga ‘di naniwala at sa mga naniwala talaga nang totoo, para po sa kanila ‘to,” he said.