Pinoy cancer survivor lives Olympic dream

MANILA, Philippines - For thyroid cancer survivor Rodolfo Carlos, it’s a dream come true to live the Olympic experience as a torchbearer in the Willenhall leg of the 70-day, 8,000-mile tour all over the United Kingdom culminating in the opening ceremony of the London Games on July 27.

Carlos, 38, was chosen to join a cast of 8,000 from 28,000 nominees in the traditional journey of the Olympic Flame. He was nominated by the InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) headquarters in Atlanta where the UP business administration graduate has worked as manager of feasibility and investment analysis since 2008. Carlos, who competes in the Masters division (35-39 age group) in Olympic-style weightlifting, underwent surgery and treatment for thyroid cancer while employed by IHG.

Carlos, a San Beda Alabang elementary and high school graduate, went to the US in 2001 to pursue a Master’s degree in business administration at Boston University. He went on to earn a Master’s in hospitality management at Cornell University before moving to New York and Denver in work assignments before settling in Atlanta.

A karate black belter in high school, Carlos has been immersed in sports throughout his life.

He played varsity soccer and even saw action with the Manila All-Stars under coach Juan Cutillas in goodwill games in Japan in 1984. Carlos was with Chot Lucban’s football squad that competed in a 7-a-side tournament at the Jubille Sports Center in Hong Kong in 1989. He also did competitive swimming and trained in the SHAPE program at the University of Life, inspired by Akiko Thomson who often swam laps in the same pool.

Carlos dabbled in taekwondo and was Kitoy Cruz’ teammate in team competitions as a red belter. He learned boxing at the Elorde Sports Center on Sucat and used to watch former world champions Rolando Navarrete and Rolando Bohol spar.

Carlos went into Olympic-style wrestling and Brazilian jiu-jitsu where he earned a blue belt from UFC pioneer Royce Gracie. Before long, Carlos and his brother Sixto formed Carlos Hermanos Filipino Martial Arts which trained military personnel, neighborhood watchmen and weekend hobbyists.

In the US, Carlos taught Muay Thai and as a personal mission, concentrated on competing in Olympic-style weightlifting. After recovering from thyroid cancer, he turned to hot yoga and Filipino martial arts to regain his strength and eventually resumed his weightlifting regimen. Last February, he took the bronze medal in the Masters category of the 2012 War Eagle Open Weightlifting Championships in Gainesville, Georgia.

Carlos said he owes his recovery from cancer to sports and his survival story triggered the nomination to be an Olympic torchbearer. He will carry the Olympic Flame in a 300-meter run through Willenhall on June 30.

Carlos will be in Birmingham from June 29 to July 1 and participate in the torch relay in Willenhall on June 30. “The Filipino community in Atlanta is very small and my Filipino friends are very happy for me,” he told The STAR. “However, it is interesting that these days to know that via facebook, we have a strong virtual Filipino community that are all interconnected around the globe. I got overwhelmed by the amount of messages from friends, a lot whom I have not talked to or seen in years, some even decades, who are all spread out in the Philippines and the rest of the globe. Some told me that they are so proud of having a fellow Filipino having the privilege of being a torchbearer, some even prouder that they have known me personally for years.”

As for his involvement in Olympic-style weightlifting, Carlos said with God’s grace, he hopes to compete as long as his body allows. “I’m happy just with the thought of being healthy, cancer-free and being one of the few to lift this much at my age,” he said. “Olympic weightlifting in the Masters division is my outlet. Our head coach John Coffee told me I was 15 years too late to start competitive weightlifting. No more Olympic weightlifting dream at my age but as an Olympic torchbearer, I hope to serve as an inspiration to the youth of the Philippines to keep on chasing their dream. I would also like to bring awareness to thyroid cancer and inspire fellow survivors to give support to those who are battling the disease. Lastly, I would like to promote awareness of Filipino martial arts and a life-long physical culture lifestyle of living healthy and strong.”