Carlos Yulo’s Cebu coach shares magical Olympic experience

Allen Aldrin Castañeda took time out for an interview during an event at the Cebu Gymnastics Academy. | Glendale Rosal

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Alan Aldrin Castañeda, coach of Philippine gymnastics star Carlos Yulo, shared his remarkable journey to the Paris Olympics.

The journey not only made Yolo a global superstar, but also shed light on Castaneda’s personal experiences.

Castaneda, a proud Cebuano and former University of Southern Philippines Foundation (USPF) coach, found himself in the Olympic spotlight alongside the country’s “Golden Boy” earlier this month.

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During a recent event at Labangon Elementary School in Cebu Gymnastics Academy, Castaneda couldn’t help but get emotional as he recalled the experiences that later became dreams.

“When he won his first gold medal, it dawned on me — I cried when I got back to the dorm. It finally dawned on me that he had actually won a gold medal,” Castaneda said, his voice thick with emotion.

After Yulo won the first gold medal in men’s floor exercise, the team members’ celebration was not intense, but only shared briefly, because Yulo still had to compete in an event – men’s vaulting horse.

When Castañeda saw Yulo attempt the vault for the first time, his heart swelled with pride and he already knew they were going to win their second gold medal.

“When he did his first vault and I saw him land it perfectly, I knew — we’re going to win another gold medal,” Castaneda recalled.

“I told him to land smoothly and we did it. The second gold medal is ours. I’m so proud of Carlos Yulo and myself. It was a surreal experience,” he said.

Castaneda has been Yolo’s coach for the past two years, and has also been mentored by Japanese coach Munehiro Kugiyama, both of whom are close friends of Yolo.

Yulo and Castañeda must overcome early challenges in training and gradually build a strong athlete-coach bond that will help them achieve Olympic glory.

In addition to his gymnastics prowess, Castañeda spoke of Yulo’s deep compassion — a quality that was on full display during their time in Paris.

“He has a good heart, he’s kind and genuine. When we were walking around Paris, he would give money and food to people who needed it. He’s a good kid and he has a lot of respect for me as a coach.”

For Castaneda, witnessing Yolo’s victory in Paris was not only a milestone in his professional life, but also in his personal life.

His gymnastics career, which culminated in the 1990s Asian Championships, never brought him the coveted gold medal. But through Yulo, he got a taste of the victory he had always sought.

This eventually led him to become a gymnastics coach, first in Cebu and later moving to Manila in 2012 to coach the national team.

Before returning to Manila, he joined a program at the Cebu Gymnastics Academy and committed to overseeing monthly training camps. His dream now is to train the next generation of gymnasts, hoping that one day, Cebuanos will be able to make it to the Olympic stage.

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