The best Filipino athletes head to Paris hungrier for Olympic gold more than ever. Following Hidilyn Diaz’s feat in breaking the Philippines’ gold medal drought, the next-generation Filipino Olympians are raring to add a few more golden wares to the country’s Olympic vault.
Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) goes behind the scenes looking into the preparations of the Philippines’ elite Olympians in the mini-documentary series – ‘Puso in Paris 2024’. The series features stories of hopes and dreams, struggles and determination, victories and defeat, and, more importantly, of hearts that bear these challenges to make an archipelagic nation of more than 100 million Filipinos proud. ‘Puso in Paris 2024’ will be streamed on the Smart Livestream App for free and will be made available to all networks.
“Smart is committed to helping Filipino athletes perform their best in the world’s biggest stage. We share their passion, and we join them in their exciting journey of bringing honor to our country,” said Alex O. Caeg, Head of Smart Consumer Wireless Business.
The four-part series opens with the Philippines’ Golden boy of gymnastics – Carlos Edriel ‘Caloy’ Yulo. This will be followed by the stories of Filipino boxers Eumir Marcial, Nesthy Petecio, Aira Villegas, who brave through blood, sweat and tears to punch their way to the top of the podium. Rounding up the second episode are Tokyo silver medalist Carlo Paalam and first-time Olympian Hergie Bacyadan. The third episode looks into the preparations of first-time Olympians Vanessa Sarno, Elreen Ando and John Ceniza and how they’re upholding the legacy set by Hidilyn Diaz for Filipino weightlifters. The series wraps up with world-class pole vaulter Ernest John ‘EJ’ Obiena and his pre-Paris competition schedule where he continuously sets the bar higher to rewrite his Olympic experience.
Stronger determination this time
Yulo, the 24-year-old prodigy from Malate, Manila, is gunning for redemption in Paris 2024. This is his second shot at Olympic glory following his breakout stint at the Tokyo games.
“We were aiming to qualify for the ‘All-Around’ and ‘Floor Exercise’ events. But when I tripped in the floor exercise, it affected the rest of my performance in other apparatus. I was frustrated, angry. Everything fell apart from there,” recalled Yulo.
Despite the setback, Yulo managed to cap off his first Olympiad with a solid performance in the men’s vault, narrowly missing out on a bronze medal by less than seven hundredths of a point.
“Looking back, I realized I wasn’t mentally strong then. I couldn’t tell that I was getting overwhelmed. I failed to manage my own self. I cried for about two hours after the competition,” he revealed.
In the episode, Yulo also recounted his struggles training abroad when he was just a teenager. He talked about the challenges he had to deal with in his journey to reach the pinnacle of his sport.
He is entering Paris 2024 with more maturity, a little more confidence and a stronger determination. Rather than languish on what was a missed opportunity, he has turned the disappointment of the Tokyo games into a driving force to propel him to what he and Filipinos are hoping for – Olympic gold or golds.
Heading into the 33rd Olympiad, Yulo brings with him a wealth of experience from regional and world-level meets capped by a pair of gold medals in Baku, Azerbaijan for the men’s vault and parallel bars. Despite changing coaches after Tokyo, Yulo remains laser focused on his goal for Olympic glory in France.
Filipino athletes break barriers
A hundred years after the Philippines first joined the world’s biggest sporting event, Filipino athletes are breaking barriers to become faster, higher, stronger. In the upcoming Paris games, 22 warriors will bear the Philippine flag as they battle for supremacy among the world’s best.
“I urge Filipinos to support our national athletes. Tune in to their competitions with the Smart Livestream App which will broadcast the Paris 2024 games round-the-clock from opening up until the closing ceremonies,” said Jude Turcuato, Head of Sports at PLDT and Smart.
Follow the journey of Filipino Olympians with Smart, an official broadcast partner of the Paris Olympics. Download the Smart LiveStream App on Google Play Store and App Store to watch ‘Puso in Paris 2024’ and the Olympic Games Paris 2024 for free. Smart LiveStream App is accessible by subscribers of all networks. Filipinos can also watch the ‘Puso in Paris 2024’ series on Smart Sports and Puso Pilipinas official YouTube and Facebook pages.
Smart’s comprehensive streaming coverage of the 2024 Olympic Games Paris 2024 is powered by Smart’s award-winning mobile network, which was recently recognized for delivering the Philippines’ Best 5G Coverage Experience by independent network analytics from Opensignal.
