Sports occupational therapist Hazel Calawod, who was at Carlos Yulo’s side on the road to Paris 2024, highlights that every Filipino Olympian deserves the whole package of support to win gold at Los Angeles 2028.

Sports occupational therapist Hazel Calawod was key to Carlos Yulo’s success in Paris 2024. | Photo © Screenshot from One News, Instagram | @lyn.hazel_

It truly does take a village to raise a champion.

In the world of sports, the path to glory is rarely walked alone, and the story of double Olympic gold medalist Carlos Yulo is a testament to this truth.

Behind every perfect routine and flawless performance lies a solid support system—a dedicated team of sports occupational therapists, coaches, and mentors who work to turn an athlete’s dreams into reality.

There were plenty of people lifting Yulo up towards the two gold medals in Paris 2024. One of them is sports occupational therapist Hazel Calawod, who focuses on optimizing the gymnast’s biomechanics by gathering scientific data.

Her work not only aims to improve Yulo’s performance, but also provides essential support during training and pivotal competitions.

In an interview with One News, Calawod highlighted how it should be required for Filipino Olympians to receive thorough and holistic support, setting a standard for the Olympic Games in Los Angeles 2028.

“If the athlete already has the drive and is disciplined, of course there are athletes that need more motivation and discipline But if you see athletes that are really always hungry to provide a good performance, why not employ these people and see where they can go?” she shared.

She emphasized that to truly unlock their potential and elevate their performance, athletes must receive not only the guidance from nutritionists and psychologists but also nurturing support that considers every aspect of their well-being.

“If you’re an athlete, you’re already thinking about your performance, how hard the training was today. And you have to manage that with your feelings. Because the next day, you’re going to be sore, but you have to train again. And then if you don’t have people like a psychologist, or people that look into your nutrition, that’s another layer that you have to think about,” she added.

“But if it’s already given to the athlete, the athlete would only have to focus on the performance. And everything else will be properly aligned for the athlete, and the athlete will perform the proper job description,” Calawod emphasized.

Hazel Calawod’s role as a sports occupational therapist was pivotal in Carlos Yulo’s journey to securing double gold medals at the Olympic Games.

It should also be noted that weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz also assembled a whole team, fondly dubbed Team HD, which included her head coach Gao Kaiwen, strength and conditioning trainer–and eventual husband Julius Naranjo–sa well as a nutritionist and a psychologist. The effort proved to be fruitful, as Diaz won the Philippines’ first-ever Olympic gold medal.

It’s a standard worthy considering for Philippine Olympians.