Cynthia Carrion hoped Carlos would get 2 golds, 1 silver in Paris
But Cynthia Carrion, the “wind beneath the wings” of Carlos Yulo, is not disappointed in the gymnast she has nurtured and supported from the time he was in grade school.
“I really thought it was going to be three. Two gold medals and one silver for the T-bar. I wasn’t disappointed that he didn’t make it,” said Cynthia, president of the Philippine Gymnastics Association, in an interview with Dyan Castillejo on ANC. Carlos won a gold medal at the floor exercise and vault events at the Paris 2024 Olympics, becoming the first Filipino to win multiple Olympic gold medals.
Cynthia celebrated her birthday recently at Manila House, with Carlos as special guest.
The champ’s birthday message for her?
“His wish is I continue to be with him in his 2028 LA Olympics (journey) as he wants to achieve his all-around Gold Medal,” Cynthia tells me. “Carlos always thanks me and knows that without me, he would not have achieved his gold medals. He said in his speech in Malacañang that I was always by his side.”
Cynthia remembers the times Carlos wanted to quit being a competitive gymnast because of the demands of the training.
“Every time Carlos wanted to quit I would say, ‘Carlos do not quit because you are going to be my Olympic champion and you are going to be the hero of the Philippines. Nobody will remember me but they will remember you’,” her words proved prophetic. But perhaps, not about people forgetting her.
Last week, Carlos accompanied Cynthia to her parish for a thanksgiving Mass.
“As I have always told him, ‘God is part of our team. Please do not forget Him’,” Cynthia recalls telling Carlos.
***
In her interview with Dyan on ANC, Cynthia recalled how she first met Carlos.
“I would see this little boy in the gym copying the gymnasts. He was there for fun. His lolo was always there and he would be copying real gymnasts. And I said ‘Look at him’,” said Cynthia, who was already with the gymnastics association.
She remembers the eager but determined look on the young Carlos’ face.
“You could see his passion for sports was all over his face. You didn’t have to tell him (to practice). It was past training time, we were going to close already and he was still training. You could see that he really loved it.”
“I said ‘Caloy, why don’t you join the Batang Pinoy? I want to see how you do because you seem to like it.’ He said ‘Yes, Ma’am!’ The next morning, we trained. And he won all the medals in Batang Pinoy. And then, Palarong Pambansa.”
Eventually, Carlos also became the first Filipino and the first male Southeast Asian gymnast to win a medal at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships with his floor exercise bronze medal finish in 2018, as well as the first Filipino and Southeast Asian to achieve a gold medal finish in 2019 at the same event.
Cynthia brought Carlos to train in Japan, where the latter not only honed his skill in gymnastics but also learned to speak and write in Japanese.
“Before Carlos went to Japan, I needed money for him to go to Japan. That is when I was really begging for money because to tell you the truth, you know how much we spent? P 18 million. He had to travel, go to school, hire a coach. It was really expensive.” That’s why Cynthia is eternally grateful to tycoon Manny V. Pangilinan for his financial support for Carlos’ training.
But Japan was no walk in the park for Carlos.
“His Japanese coach sent me some photos of him. Dead in the car, dead on the floor. Because he wasn’t used to the Japanese training. That’s why I wanted him to be in Japan because the discipline is phenomenal. And being with the best of the best. Watching the best of the best. He said, ‘I want to be like them’.”
“For the Tokyo Olympics, I remember he wasn’t prepared. First time he was going to a big coliseum and it was mind boggling. He felt so bad to disappoint me. He was crying. And I said ‘Carlos it’s okay. Next Olympics. This is your try out. Your rehearsal’.”
And the rest, as they say, is history.
***
Cynthia, a miracle worker in her own right, has a unique birthday wish: that Filipinos get to know more of St. Mary of Magda, the first person who saw Jesus Christ after His resurrection. She said miracles happened to her after she visited St. Mary of Magda’s relics in Russia.
I remember Cynthia during the Assumption Convent velada 20 years ago. During the velada, the different classes celebrating milestone years perform onstage. My class was celebrating its silver jubilee, and her class, which included then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, was celebrating its ruby year since high school.
President Arroyo was extremely busy, but she understood how much her presence would mean to her alma mater. Cynthia not only coached President Arroyo for her dance steps, she led her class, the ruby jubilarians, into bringing the house down with their moves to the tune of the ‘60s’ greatest hits. I remember they danced to the Beatles.
And that is how I always think of Cynthia Carrion. A doer, an enabler, a miracle worker. She makes things happen, and makes history.
You may e-mail me at [email protected]. Follow me on Instagram @joanneraeramirez.
- Latest
