More than ever, the top Filipino athletes are eager to win an Olympic gold medal in Paris. The Philippines’ upcoming Olympians are eager to add a few more golden goods to the nation’s Olympic vault in the wake of Hidilyn Diaz’s victory that ended the country’s gold medal drought.
In the miniseries “Puso in Paris 2024,” Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) delves behind the scenes into the elite Olympians of the Philippines’ preparations. Stories of aspirations and hopes, hardships and tenacity, triumphs and setbacks, and, above all, of hearts that withstand these difficulties are told in this series, which aims to inspire pride in the more than 100 million-strong Filipino archipelago. “Puso in Paris 2024” will be made available to all networks and streamed for free via the Smart Livestream App.
“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.
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.
Yulo finished his debut Olympics with a strong performance in the men’s vault, barely losing out on a bronze medal by less than seven hundredths of a point despite the setback.
“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.
Yulo also talked about his difficulties as a young teen training overseas in this episode. He discussed the difficulties he faced on his quest to become the best in 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.
