World gymnastics champion Caloy Yulo on Thursday graduated with an Associated Degree in Literature at the Teikyo University in Tokyo, Japan.
The Filipino gymnastics’ ace, who has been training under noted Japanese coach Munehiro Kugiyama since 2016 in Japan, posted a picture of him on his Instagram receiving his diploma.
His parents Angelica and Mark were not with him, but had a small get-together to celebrate their 22-year-old son’s educational accomplishment.
His mother Angelica, though, posted a long, emotional post on Facebook to greet her son.
“Happy graduation ‘nak. (We) missed this important event in your life, I wish I was there to hug you and greet you on your special day. I wished that I witnessed the happiness written on your face when you received your diploma. I wished that you shared your joy with us, celebrating another achievement in your life with us.”
Angelica added: “But apparently we are not there to celebrate your success, but surely we’re happy of what you’ve achieved and grateful to our Almighty God for giving you the courage to finish your studies without our presence. But you know that we’re always here beside you to support you in all your endeavors. I want you to know that I AM THE PROUDEST MOM IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD.”
Yulo had a short vacation in the Philippines as he led the inauguration of the MVP Sports Foundation Gymnastics Training Center in Intramuros, Manila last March 5. He had to go back to Japan to catch his graduation ceremony.
Yulo will lead the Philippine gymnastics’ team to the 31st SEA Games set in May in Hanoi, Vietnam as he aims to surpass his two-gold, five-silver medal haul in the 2019 edition of the biennial meet hosted by the Philippines.
He topped the all-around and floor exercise events and placed second in the vault, ring, pommel horse, horizontal and parallel bars in the last SEA Games.
During the pandemic, he won the gold in vault and silver in parallel bars at the 2021 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Kitakyushu, Japan.
In his seniors’ debut in 2019 just before the SEA Games, he pocketed the gold in the floor exercise in Stuttgart, Germany. He was a bronze medalist in the same event in Doha, Qatar in 2018.
Joining Yulo in the men’s artistic SEAG squad are Jan Gwynn Timbang, Justine Ace De Leon, Juancho Miguel Besana, John Ivan Cruz, and John Matthew Vergara.
Other gymnasts in the team include Aleah Finnegan, Chiara Andrews, Ancilla Lucia Mari Manzano, Lucia Gabriel Gutierrez, Kursten Rogue Lopez and Christina Onofre Loberanes in the women’s squad.
The rhythmic team is composed of Daniela de la Pisa, Breanna Labadan, Shieldannah Sabio, Katrina Loretizo, Andrea Mae Emperado, Divina Sembrano, AJ Melgar, Jenny Marie Eusebio and Angelika Leigh Buenavidez.
Making up the aerobics’ squad are Charmaine Dolar, Lynette Ann Moreno, Queenie Grace Briones, Dorothy Grace Asuncion, Christopher Daniel Quevado, Carl Joshua Tangonan and Enrico Ostia.