GAP grooms Palaro standout for 2014 Youth Olympics

MANILA, Philippines - A 12-year-old diminutive dynamo and two-time Palarong Pambansa standout is being groomed by the Gymnastics Association of the Philippines (GAP) to become a potential medal contender in the 2014 Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, China.

Plucked from the streets and playgrounds of a nearby low-income neighborhood, Carlos Adriel “Caloy” Yulo has been training with GAP since he was four years old, thanks to the prodding of his grandfather  Rodrigo Frisco.

“Mahilig mag-tumbling ang batang iyan sa Paraiso (playground near the Manila Zoo) kaya minsan nagtanong ako sa may Rizal Memorial kung saan kami mag-aral ng gymnastics at  tinuro kami sa GAP,” said Frisco, who lives with the child’s family in Leveriza. “Tinanggap naman kami ni dating GAP secretary general Dulce (Saguisag).”

Since then, Yulo has shown a dedication, discipline and precocious talent in emerging as one of the most promising and exciting  gymnastics finds in recent years.

The Grade 6 student at Doña Aurora Quezon Elementary School has dominated the last two editions of the national Palarong Pambansa.

He captured the golds in the boys’ floor exercise and all-around in the 2010 Palaro held in Tarlac and swept the floor, all-around, individual and team events when the meet was staged in Dipolog, Zamboanga last year.

Yulo, whose father is a travel agent liaison and mom a homemaker, recently emerged as the most bemedalled athlete in the National Capital Region Palaro gymnastics and looms once again as the top favorite to rule the Palaro nationals in Lingayen, Pangasinan in May.

According coach Roland Udquin, the young boy has the makings of an outstanding gymnast, pointing out that at his age level, Yulo is about the only one he knows who can make the difficult aerial  “triple twist” routine in the floor exercise.

“Siya lang ang alam kong bata na nakakagawa nuong mahirap na triple twist sa kanyang edad,” Udquin said.  “Wala na akong bata nakita na nakagagawa nuon.”

“Marunong sumunod si Caloy at hindi pasaway,” added Udquin proudly of his ward.

“We have seen the tremendous growth and  potential of Yulo since he began training with us and would like to prepare him intensively for the 2014 Nanjing Youth Olympic Games,” said GAP president Cynthia Carrion of the gymnastics prodigy previously supported by patron Nena Ortoll.

Carrion said with the help of the PSC and private sponsors and, GAP would like to send Yulo, John Ivan Cruz, 10, and Jag Timbang, 14, to train in China as part of the Youth Olympic Games build-up.

The gymnast, who looks up to three-time world all-around champion Kohei Uchimura as his model, said while he was excited about the prospect of being sent to China he was also reluctant of going out of the country for the first time.

“Baka ako ma-homesick,” the lad said. “Pero kayo kong mag-sakripisyo kasi alam ko para rin ito sa kinabukasan ko at ng aking pamilya.”