MANILA – President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. joined the nation in celebrating Carlos Edriel Yulo’s gold medal victory in men’s gymnastics at the 2024 Paris Olympics on Saturday (PH time).

Yulo’s stellar performance in the floor exercise final earned him 15.000 points, securing the Philippines’ first gold medal of the 2024 Olympics and the second overall, following weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz’s groundbreaking gold in the 2021 Tokyo Games.

In a social media post, Marcos congratulated Yulo for his historic achievement, expressing pride and gratitude for making the nation proud.

“We’ve witnessed history as Carlos Yulo clinched the Philippines’ first gold medal in artistic gymnastics at the Paris 2024 Olympics,” Marcos said. “I am confident that it will not be the last.”

Hidilyn Diaz also shared a heartfelt message for the 4-foot-9 gymnast, affectionately known as Caloy.

“Proud ako sa iyo. I-enjoy mo ang bunga ng pinagpaguran mo. At lagi mong ibabalik — sa Diyos at bayan, dahil lahat ng tagumpay natin ay hindi pansarili (I’m proud of you. Enjoy the fruits of your hard work and always give back – to God and country, because our success is not just ours),” Diaz said.

“Nandito lang ang Ate Haidie mo para sa iyo lagi (Your Ate Haidie will always be here for you)!”

Yulo aims to continue his historic run on Sunday night as he competes in the vault finals at Bercy Arena.

(IAmigo/mnm)