Gymnastics sensation Carlos Yulo trended online after Filipinos spotted him using a plastic container instead of bags for powdered chalk in his performances.
The 24-year-old gymnast finished 12th out of 24 qualifiers in the men’s artistic gymnastics all-around final at the Bercy Arena for the Paris Olympics 2024 on August 1 (Philippine time) with a total score of 83.032.
Japan’s Oka Shinnosuke brought home the gold medal with a total score of 86.832.
Meanwhile, China’s Zhang Boheng and Xiao Ruoteng bagged the silver and bronze medals with 86.599 and 86.364, respectively.
Despite falling short of earning a podium finish, the event was the first time Carlos reached his individual all-around final of the Games. He only made it to the medal round of the vault on Tokyo 2020.
The reigning Asian all-around champion will compete in the floor exercise final on August 3 and the vault final on August 4.
Meanwhile, as Filipinos watched Carlos’ August 1 performance, screengrabs of the Olympian, juxtaposed with some other gymnasts, went viral on the X (formerly Twitter) platform.
These include the Pinoy gymnastics sensation carrying a sealed plastic container of powdered chalk instead of a bag, as what other gymnasts were carrying.
“Other gymnasts using plastic bag to store their chalk power vs. Caloy with his Tupperware (baonan),” an online user wrote with emojis of a laughing-with-tears face and a loudly-crying face.
“Very Pinoy!” the user added.
other gymnasts using plastic bag to store their chalk power vs caloy with his tupperware (baonan) 😭😂 very pinoy!#Paris2024 #OlympicGames #100TaongLaban #ParaSaBayan#CarlosYulo pic.twitter.com/g2r31P91IZ
— 𝐛𝐞𝐞🐸 #TheFrog (@ydm_gms) July 31, 2024
“Caloy and his baonan (emojis of laughing-with-tears face and a loudly-crying face) Kyot!” the user continued.
Caloy and his baonan 😭😂 kyot! pic.twitter.com/TXJR2QYE76
— 𝐛𝐞𝐞🐸 #TheFrog (@ydm_gms) July 31, 2024
Some Filipinos were amused by the comparison.
“Tell me you’re Pinoy without telling me you’re Pinoy,” another user quipped.
“Buti nga hindi Selecta ice cream container,” joked a different Pinoy, referencing Filipinos’ culture of reusing containers like biscuit tin cans and ice cream containers.
“Hooooy, apaka-Filipino coded,” wrote a different user.
Others pointed out the benefits of Carlos using a plastic container to store his powdered chalk.
“Bukod sa mas eco-friendly, less messy nga pag naka-Tupperware. Importante pa rin na ‘di niya nakalimutan tapos maiuwi [niya] sa bahay, para ‘di lagot sa nanay. Okayyyy” wrote a different user.
A Tupperware is a brand of plastic storage container which is known to be costlier than similar products of its kind.
Despite its price, it is popular among Filipinos who especially have a longtime tradition of repurposing containers for other needs.
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In an interview, Carlos said carrying containers became a habit for them while training in Japan.
“Everytime na pupunta sa ibang competition, may dala po talaga kaming Tupperware,” he told reporters.
‘Yung sa kanila nga, malaki pa po eh. ‘Yung sa’kin kasi — mag-isa lang naman po ako — so hindi ko po kailangan ng ganoong kalaki na Tupperware po. ‘Yung handy lang and tsaka ‘yung madaling dalhin lang po,” the athlete added.
Gymnasts use powdered chalk as it helps keep their hands dry while they grip on bars during their routines, preventing risks of slipping off.
The coarse substance increases their friction for better grip.
