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Filipino gymnast Carlos Yulo won two historic gold medals at the Paris Olympics, but instead of his achievements being celebrated, the focus has been on the feud with his mother.
Yulo became only the second athlete from the Philippines to win an Olympic gold medal, winning the floor event in the men’s artistic gymnastics competition, and followed it up with a second gold in the vault the following day.
But his disagreement with his mother has dominated the coverage. Angelica Poquiz-Yulo reportedly managed her son’s finances and disapproved of his girlfriend, who is a TikTok content creator.
It first emerged after his mother gave an interview to a local radio station the same day as he won his second gold medal, where she denied managing her son’s finances and said she instead deposited his money at a bank in Manila after receiving it on his behalf.
Two days later (6 August), Yulo put out a video on TikTok publicly asking his mother what happened to his prize money because he “never received” the sum, and also saying his girlfriend was not a “red flag” and that his mother was judging her.
In the TikTok video, Yulo said, reported by the BBC: “My message to you Ma, is I hope you heal and move on. I have forgiven you a long time ago. I pray that you are always safe and sound.”
Yulo is set to receive a sum of 20 million peso (£273,000) from the Philippines government and corporate sponsorship is likely to also be substantial.
Poquiz-Yulo then called a press conference the next day in response to the TikTok, and said: “This has reached an alarming level because now, the entire country is waiting for what each of us will say next, when this matter should have been kept private.
“I am not a perfect mother and God knows that you are not a perfect son. There is no perfect family.”
