Chloe San Jose Challenges Carlos Yulo’s Mother Amid Family Tensions

Chloe San Jose, the girlfriend of Olympic gold medalist Carlos Yulo, has taken to social media to address the ongoing tensions between herself and Carlos’s mother, Angelica Poquiz Yulo. In a bold message posted on Facebook on August 5, Chloe stated, “Dear Mom, I’ll be holding your hand while saying this,” accompanied by a kiss emoji. She continued, “But please wait a little longer, as we just finished the vault finals. And please turn on the comment feature on your Facebook account and stop deleting posts.”

Since Carlos won his first gold medal in artistic gymnastics on August 3 and a second in vault on August 4, his mother has not publicly congratulated him. The last congratulatory message she shared on social media was for Japanese athlete Shinnosuke Oka, who won the all-around gold medal, where Carlos finished 12th out of 24 competitors on August 1.

Chloe further emphasized her point with a hint of sarcasm, writing, “Japan is indeed very strong, but Carlos is also very tough. God is on his side.”

At just 22 years old, Chloe is a vlogger of Filipino-Australian descent with over 460,000 followers on Facebook. She initially reached out to Carlos in April 2020, six months after his world championship win, by sending a message via Twitter, saying, “Hi, I’m a fan of yours. I noticed you haven’t been active on social media lately. I hope you’re okay. Take care.” This marked the beginning of their blossoming relationship.

Six months later, the couple publicly shared their love through a dancing video on TikTok. At the time, they were in a long-distance relationship as Chloe was studying in Australia while Carlos trained in Japan. However, they often stayed connected through video calls. By June 2023, they celebrated their three-year anniversary with a trip to Disneyland Hong Kong, and Chloe has frequently supported Carlos at his competitions.

Carlos is the second child of Mark and Angelica Yulo, following his older sister Jorielgel and preceding younger brother Karl and sister Elaiza. Born in 2000, Carlos started gymnastics at the age of seven. In 2016, the Japan Olympic Association awarded him a scholarship to study at Teikyo University while training in gymnastics in Tokyo. This arrangement often kept him away from home.

The last time Angelica publicly acknowledged Carlos was on his birthday, February 16, 2023. Since then, she has made several ambiguous posts hinting at the deteriorating relationship between mother and son. In August 2023, she posted about sacrifices made, such as giving up work to care for children, expressing disappointment at not being respected.

Amid public scrutiny, Angelica restricted comments on her social media as thousands of Filipinos flooded her account to comment on her posts criticizing Carlos. Filipino news outlet PEP even speculated that she might have been siphoning off her son’s prize money, an allegation she denied.

Angelica believes that Chloe is the main factor causing the rift in the Yulo family. In an interview with Bombo Radyo on August 4, she explained that while she initially had no issues when Carlos introduced Chloe to the family, the conflict arose over a year ago when Carlos moved into an apartment in Japan.

Carlos’s younger brother, Karl, who is 15 and also a gymnast, later moved to Japan for training and was supposed to stay with Carlos. When Angelica and Mark visited the new apartment, they discovered that Carlos was living with Chloe.

Carlos welcomed his brother, but Angelica opposed Chloe staying there with Karl. “That apartment is like a dormitory; it should only be for athletes,” she insisted on August 4. “Others shouldn’t be living there. Moreover, Karl is still a minor, and I don’t want him staying with Chloe. Karl’s coach agrees.”

Ultimately, Carlos chose to live with Chloe, prompting Angelica and Mark to arrange alternative accommodations for Karl and his teammates. Angelica expressed her frustration, stating that since then, Chloe has been trying to isolate Carlos from the Yulo family. “My children are very upset with Carlos’s behavior,” she added.

On March 26, 2023, Angelica changed her Facebook cover photo to one of the Yulo family members, excluding Carlos, with the caption: “A close-knit family will always be together.”

In an interview on August 5, Mark admitted that there were conflicts within the family but expressed hope for a resolution. “Carlos is preparing to return to the Philippines, and I will hug him tightly to show my love,” he said. “I have a neutral stance, supporting both my wife and my son. I will persuade my wife to reconnect with Carlos.”

When Carlos won four gold medals at the Asian Championships in May 2024, Mark congratulated him via Instagram. Carlos responded, “Thanks, Dad. I love you.”

Mark works as a travel consultant, while Angelica had to leave her job to care for their children. He noted that despite their differences, Angelica remains proud of Carlos’s achievements, even if she doesn’t publicly show it on social media due to their ongoing issues.

Carlos has confirmed that he will receive rewards and gifts totaling at least 50 million pesos (approximately 22 billion VND) for his two Olympic gold medals. However, he stated that his first priority isn’t spending that money. “I will save it to invest in the future because an athlete’s career doesn’t last long,” he told TV Patrol. “But the first thing I need to do is rest and focus on my personal life.”

Carlos Yulo also affirmed his intention to compete in the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles