For the second straight time, the Gymnastics Association of the Philippines (GAP) is hailed as the National Sports Association (NSA) of the Year.
The distinction will be given out during the San Miguel Corporation-Philippine Sportswriters Association 2025 Awards Night slated on Feb. 16 at the Diamond Hotel Manila.
Golden Boy Carlos Yulo, the current face of Philippine gymnastics, again stood at the forefront of another banner campaign for the sport as Filipino bets excel from the world and Asian championships, the junior world championships, all the way to the Southeast Asian Games.
The 25-year-old Yulo spearheaded the national team’s dynamic stint by reasserting his status as one of the best in the world today with another golden performance in the FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Jakarta, Indonesia.
The Leveriza, Manila native, snared gold in vault and bronze in floor exercise during the 53rd edition of the meet, earning him a second straight Athlete of the Year honor, which he’ll share with tennis darling Alex Eala during the gala night co-presented by the Philippine Sports Commission and ArenaPlus.
Yulo’s historic double gold act at the Paris Olympics paved the way for gymnastics to be named NSA of the Year in last season’s awards proceedings, supported by major backers the Philippine Olympic Committee, MILO, Cignal, Premier Volleyball League, Philippine Basketball Association, Akari, Rain or Shine, Capital1 Solar Energy, and Acrocity.
The GAP is under the leadership of Cynthia Carrion.
Yulo warmed up for the world meet by winning a fourth straight gold in the floor exercise of the Asian Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Jecheon, South Korea, where he also bagged the bronze in the individual all-around, vault, and parallel bars.
Not to be outdone was his brother Eldrew Yulo, who netted bronzes in the floor exercise and horizontal bar of the 3rd FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Junior Championships at the Manila Marriott Hotel.
Young Yulo’s pair of bronzes capped the country’s successful hosting of the meet held in the Philippines for the first time through the initiative of GAP and in partnership with the PSC and other leading government agencies.
And before 2025 ended, Filipino gymnasts likewise made their presence felt in the 33rd SEA Games, where they took home three gold medals courtesy of Aleah Finnegan (vault), Jasmine Ramilo (individual all-around), and John Ivan Cruz (vault), along with two silvers and seven bronzes.
