Olympic moment of the day: Philippines’ Carlos Edriel Yulo gets his nation a historic gold – and himself a new house

Paris CNN —

Carlos Edriel Yulo might have only been an inch or two taller than his rivals when he stood in the center of the podium Saturday afternoon, but he had just accomplished something that put him head and shoulders above any man from his nation who’d ever competed at the Olympics.

With his victory in the men’s floor exercise final, Yulo on Saturday became the first Filipino man ever to win an Olympic gold medal, the first Filipino to win any medal in gymnastics and the second Filipino to ever win a gold medal.

“We are a really small country and the portion of athletes is not the same as the US or UK, so to be able to get a gold medal is really big for us,” he said after. “I dedicate this to the Filipinos who supported me. I’m really grateful to them. I want to say thank you for watching and praying for me throughout the competition.”

And while the six-time world champion has made a lot of history for his country, it still seemed like long odds for the Manila native to be standing on that center podium with gold around his neck.

Just before the 2023 World Championships, Yulo and his longtime coach Munehiro Kugiyama decided to part ways. Since then, Yulo has worked without a coach and instead has bounced around the world to train with some of the best athletes in his sport. When he’s not traveling, he’s returned to Manila – a move he’s credited with making him feel more connected with his Filipino teammates.

But those teammates were not on the floor with him on Saturday. Instead it was just the 24-year-old, flipping, twisting and soaring above the floor at the Bercy Arena in Paris.

He hardly put a foot wrong from the start, his powerful strides making him appear to glide across the mat and then his explosive