The year 2024 has been both victorious and tumultuous for the 24-year-old Olympian Carlos Yulo—and he has acknowledged that his fame nowadays is not always sunshine and rainbows. In his December cover story for Preview, Carlos illustrated how he has long accepted that he cannot control people's opinions about him at all. As long as he's doing the right thing without going against other people (except for competitions, ofc), the Olympian can live in peace and move forward with pride.
"May mga masasabi pa rin po 'yung iba, kahit maganda 'yung gawin ko o hindi maganda 'yung gawin ko. Para sa akin, kilala ko 'yung sarili ko. Alam ko 'yung naging journey ko. Alam ko na wala akong ginagawang masama. 'Di ako nananapak ng pagkatao or naninira ng dignidad," Carlos expressed.
But he doesn't want people to misinterpret his attitude. He noted that it's not because he literally doesn't care at all about others' opinions (TBH, it's hard to not care). It's just that he has learned the "art of ignoring" (or so we call it). After all, Carlos knows how to choose his battles—both in life and in sports.
"Hindi naman po sa wala akong pakialam. Pero kung hindi nagre-resonate sa sinasabi mo [tungkol sa] pag-uugali ko, ini-ignore ko nalang sila," he told Preview.
Life for Carlos Yulo post-Olympics 2024
While we're at it, let's take the time to do a quick look back at how Carlos handled the spotlight after his Olympics stint. ICYDK, Carlos won gold in both the Floor Exercise and The Vault routine during the Olympic games in Paris this year.
As soon as he got back to the Philippines, he was welcomed by all of the kababayans who witnessed his historic win, and of course, by everyone who supported him throughout his journey. Like any other athlete out there, Carlos isn't a one-time big-time champ. It took years for him to get to the top, making it a well-deserved win.
ALSO READ: Here Are The Prizes Awaiting Carlos Yulo At Home
But as he entered the limelight, everything about him—even if it wasn't sports-related—was brought up and became a topic that the people of the Internet had subscribed to. To spell it out, Carlos' victory brought to light his complicated relationship with his family. Accusations and different sides of the story were thrown, even before Carlos became "The Golden Boy."
In case you're wondering about the issue (we doubt you don't know this tho), Carlos isn't in good terms with his family, especially his mother Angelica Yulo. It became out of hand to the point that Angelica even held a legit press conference just to explain her side of the story. In a nutshell, the mother-and-son relationship was in shambles because of 1) misunderstandings about Carlos' prize money, which he alleges his mother used for reasons he didn't know about; and 2) arguments over Carlos' choice to date Chloe San Jose, whom his mother criticizes. And that's all we know so far as outsiders.
READ MORE: Carlos Yulo Defends GF Chloe San Jose's Clothing And Lifestyle
Nonetheless, Carlos looks forward to a brighter future for him as an athlete. Looking past the gossip and the several judgments made about him on the Internet, he's set to achieve greater goals on the podium.
In his December 2024 interview with Preview, he underscored that he is "back to zero," when it comes to the trajectory of his career. He is set to continuously prove himself—but it's not something to put pressure on himself, but to strive for bigger things until the end.
"'Di naman din po ako takot matalo sa mga susunod kong laban. Hindi porke't hindi mo nagawa today, hindi mo na magagawa next day. Hindi porke't nagawa mo today, magagawa mo siya next day. Pero gusto ko rin na mapaalagaan 'yung naging title ko and ma-sustain 'yung quality ng performance. Sobrang hirap po siguro ang magiging journey ko this time." Carlos admitted.
