Hero’s welcome for Yulo’s coach | The Freeman

CEBU, Philippines — Hero’s welcome awaits the Cebuano coach of Olympic gold medalist Carlos Yulo as President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. (PBBM) yesterday vowed to further boost funding for Philippine sports following Yulo’s double gold finish in Paris.

Darlene Castan?eda-Dela Pisa, sister of Yulo’s Olympic coach Allen Aldrin Castan?eda, said she hopes that his (Castan?eda) Cebu City homecoming would also be a time for the city to re-opens its doors to them, after they were allegedly barred from using the city’s training center in Brgy. Labangon.

After Carlos Yulo’s historic feat in the ongoing Olympics, Castan?eda was also given some recognition for being the one on Yulo’s side as coach in Paris.

Although much of the credit in training Yulo should go to Japanese coach Munehiro “Mune” Kugimiya, who molded the young Filipino to be a world-class athlete, it was when Castan?eda was the coach when Yulo made Olympic history for the country in winning not just one but two gold medals in the Olympics.

Unknown to many, though, Castan?eda already handled Yulo back in his junior division days, which paved the way for a scholarship/training in Japan under coach Mune.

When coach Mune and Yulo parted ways for some reasons, Yulo was without a coach until Gymnastics Association of the Philippines Head Cynthia Carrion named Castan?eda to serve as his coach leading to the Olympics, where Yulo won gold in the vault and the floor exercises.

And because of this feat, Castan?eda will return to Cebu City with a hero’s welcome.

“The wind beneath his (Yulo) wings usa ka Sugbuanon, taga-Brgy. Hipodromo (in Cebu City). Si Coach Aldrin. Congratulations nimo coach! You are a proud Cebuano. Mabuhi ka!” said Acting Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia, through the City Government’s News & Information Facebook page.

“We will welcome you when you come back here. Bisita gyud. We will give you a hero’s welcome when you come back here in the city of Cebu, ilabi na gyud sa City Hall,” the acting mayor said.

Hipodromo Brgy. Captain Ruperto Bacolod, in the same report, also said they are preparing for his return home.

“Nangandam na mi sa pagbalik sa among barangay ni coach Aldrin. Among dakong garbo,” he said,