As Carlos Yulo is in euphoria over his hard-earned two gold medals that brought pride and happiness to his countrymen, EJ Obiena expressed sadness and disappointment at not having delivered golds (just the fourth place) for his country in pole vaulting.
Both in victory and in defeat, Filipinos back home showed pride for both Olympic contestants, giving EJ even the best comforting words he could expect for his ‘non-winning’ and encouraging him to keep on fighting.
Personal issues
On the sidelines, though, the victor Yulo is grappling with personal issues involving his mother and his Australia-based girlfriend and his finances, which he claimed are kept and controlled by his mom (who dips into his funds without his knowledge, again as he claimed in social media).
Yulo even asked his mom to move on and that he had forgiven her for whatever she had done to him and his girlfriend and his funds.
Angelica (Yulo’s mom) and Carlos are reportedly feuding over multiple issues, including money and his girlfriend Chloe San Jose. In a lengthy statement forwarded around the time of Carlos’ floor exercise win, Angelica aired her side, saying she did not steal money and claiming that Carlos did many more things that she just “let slide,” Rappler reported.
“I hope in time I can let go of the hurt I feel. There is no mother that does not love her children, but a mother can also get hurt,” she wrote in Filipino.
To date, Carlos and Angelica still do not see eye to eye. Carlos and his father Mark, however, remain in contact, as proven by public support comments the two have made leading up to the Paris Games.
'We still support you'
But EJ Obiena is only sorrowful and disappointed about his Olympic loss expressing: “I first want to say thank you to everyone who has followed, supported, and believed in me. Fourth place is painful to say the least; and in sports with only three podium spots, fourth place can feel particularly harsh. I am heartbroken that a single failure cost me—and a nation I so deeply love—the podium. I apologize for this outcome. Such is life in competitive sports: it can be exhilarating at times and painful at others. I have experienced both, and unfortunately, today I am on the painful side of it,” he said in his public apology to his Filipino supporters.”
'Pinoy Pride' at Paris Olympics
Yet the nation, in social media, is united in reassuring him that it is proud of his past successes and would still keep rooting for him in the future.
While Filipinos might typically critique an athlete’s performance, Obiena’s message has been met with overwhelming support from a nation that recognizes his hard work rather than his inability to secure a medal, reported business blog site, Bilyonaryo.
So between the two, it looks like that outside the Olympic Obiena is the one that enjoys more inner peace and happiness in life and must only live with the defeat but move on to pursue his passion with even greater gusto
Tycoons offering perks
Interestingly, the Olympic winners and those that participated in other global competitions performed their best when trained and supported by tycoons like Yulo and Obiena.
As columnist Boo Chanco wrote in the Star said: Filipino athletes perform better in world competitions with the support of generous bilyonaryos, summarized Bilyonaryo.
Chanco said the financial support of local business conglomerates go a long way for Pinoy sportsmen, filling a huge gap which the state could not efficiently provide.
Chanco said the financial support of local business conglomerates go a long way for Pinoy sportsmen, filling a huge gap which the state could not efficiently provide.
“Gold medals are won over long periods of training that require funds our government can’t provide because the politics within our sports associations dissipate what little can be set aside from our taxes for sports development,” he added.
Olympic pole vaulter EJ Obiena as well as 2020 Tokyo Olympics gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz are also among homegrown athletes who have publicly sought financial aid from private companies for their trainings and preparations for their global competitions.
No wonder, MVP was among the first to congratulate Yulo for the two golds, using of course his telco, PLDT.
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