(August 20, 2024) – Philippine gymnastics’ “Golden Boy” Carlos Yulo is hoping to further cement his name in the gymnastics landscape by having a new skill that will bear his name. This comes after his monumental double-gold finish in the recently concluded Paris 2024 Olympics.

In an exclusive interview with News5 Digital, Caloy expressed his interest in developing a new gymnastics move for one of his pet events—the floor exercise.

“Yes po! Naglalaro rin po ako, naghahanap din po ng realistically na magagawa sa competition,” he said.

And while the 24-year-old Olympian from Leveriza, Manila recognizes the Herculian effort needed to pull it off, he said that it is already in the mix.

“Yes po ‘yung about diyan. Medyo mahirap po kasi gumawa ng unique na skill na puwedeng ipangalan sa’yo. So kailangan po ng time, extra effort din. And syempre kailangang mas maging ideal po na magagawa ko siya in the competition. Kasi kapag nakagawa na ako ng skill and then tinry ko siya sa competition tapos hindi ko siya succesful na nagawa or hindi nag-landing, hindi po siya tatanggapin,” Yulo added.

HOW BIG IT IS TO HAVE A SKILL UNDER A GYMNAST’S NAME?

According to Women’s Artistic Gymnastics International Brevet Judge Linzi Arellano-Co, accomplishing such feat is like writing your name in history books—a proof that the gymnast has contributed and done something truly unique for the sport.

“It is a big deal because parang legacy mo iyon as a person e. For Caloy, talagang legacy niya iyon. First Filipino na Olympic double-gold medalist tapos first Filipino pa na magkaroon ng name in the Code of Points (CoP). It will never be taken from him kasi. It is always going to be there,” she explained.

The CoP is a rulebook created by the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG). It is a guide providing basis in evaluating gymnastics exercises in competitions.

“Every four years, they republish the CoP, they will change it. So kunyare ngayon, after the Olympics babaguhin na naman ‘yung rules. Parang andiyan na siya (Carlos Yulo’s name) forever sa kahit anong republishing ng CoP. Halimbawa 100 years from now, andiyan pa rin ‘yung pangalan niya if he manages to achieve that,” Arellano-Co said.

Carlos Yulo himself is no stranger with moves that are named after gymnasts. During the Tokyo 2020 Summer Games, the gymnastics star performed the Dragulescu in the qualifications and finals of the vault apparatus. The skill was named after Romanian gymnast Marian Dragulescu after he performed it at the 1999 Arthur Gander Memorial in Switzerland.

THE PROCESS

After developing a unique skill, the gymnast has to successfully execute it in a major competition such as the Olympics, world championships, or any continental meet governed by the International Gymnastics Federation. It will then be followed by the submission of the new skill, which will be evaluated by the federation, to ensure that it meets the necessary criteria. Once cleared, the new element will be included in the CoP and will be named after the gymnast who performed it.