Carlos Yulo, though already a Philippine sports legend with two Olympic gold medals before the age of 25, still gamely gears up for title defenses in the prime of his athletic power at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics

MANILA, Philippines – The work never stops for an athlete in their prime, and the same can easily be said for the Philippines’ pride Carlos Yulo, now a worldwide gymnastics superstar after nailing the country’s first two Olympic gold medals ever in the sport at the recently concluded Paris Games.

Minutes after landing at the Villamor Air Base in Pasay City alongside his fellow Olympians on Tuesday, August 13, the 24-year-old sensation, though widely assumed to pursue the 2028 Olympics, officially confirmed his intent to contend for a spot in the Los Angeles Games.

“Of course, I still have one more Olympics in 2028. I will train well for that and practice well,” he told reporters in Filipino.

“But of course, I will also rest first, since I need it.”

After a very long journey to get back home, Yulo and the rest of the Paris Olympians only stayed for less than an hour in Villamor before speeding towards Malacanang for a courtesy call with President Bongbong Marcos, who announced that Yulo will get a whopping P20 million from his office.

Not even counting private sector gifts, the Olympic floor exercise and vault apparatus champion is already set to receive P40 million total from Marcos’ office and from the Philippine government overall, as mandated by the National Athletes and Coaches Benefits and Incentives Act.

But the thought of having Olympic title defenses at the peak of his prime, and just 28 years old by then, is incentive enough for Yulo, who still has the 2025 Southeast Asian Games, 2026 Asian Games, and three World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in his schedule to further polish his craft.

Already a Philippine sports legend before the age of 25, Yulo is in line for a well-deserved rest, but the journey is very much far from over.