Mac and cheese for life! Philippines’ heartfelt gifts to Carlos Yulo after double Olympic gold

Filipino gymnast Carlos Yulo’s historic double gold medal win at the Paris Olympics has been celebrated across the Philippines, with businesses showering the athlete in gifts – from cash and a new home, to a lifetime supply of mac and cheese.

Ferdinand Marcos, the president, said the Philippines had “witnessed history” when Yulo became the first Filipino man to win a gold medal after competing in the artistic gymnastic floor exercise on Saturday. He is only the second Filipino athlete to win an Olympic gold, after weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz in 2020. On Sunday, Yulo soared to the top of the podium again in the vault, thus becoming the first Filipino to win two golds – and at a single Olympics.

“No words can express how proud we are of you,” Marcos said. “Filipinos all over the world stood united, cheering and rooting for you.”

Carlos was described as a “sports hero” and “national treasure” by speaker of the lower house, Ferdinand Martin Romualdez. Yulo will be given three million Philippines pesos (£40,500/US$51,890) and a congressional medal, and is due to receive P10m under a law that promises incentives to athletes.

Private sector companies, big and small, announced a flurry of gifts, including a fully furnished two-bedroom unit worth P24m in Taguig City, Metro Manila. Yulo was also offered lifetime supplies of free buffets, baked mac and cheese, and chicken inasal, a grilled chicken dish, by various chain restaurants.

A car lights specialist offered him a free set of headlights and fog lights for his vehicle, while a wedding photographer pledged free services to the 24-year-old and another business offered a lifetime supply of phone cases. A Filipino doctor pledged free consultation and endoscopic procedures for Yulo when he turned 45, as well as to any patients in need whom Yulo would like to endorse.

Yulo collapsed to the ground in tears when he realised he had secured the gold on Saturday. “I don’t know what to say,” he said. “We are a really small country … So to be able to get a gold medal for us is big for us, huge. I dedicate this to the Filipino people who supported me.”

Yulo has been offered franchises for a coffee and a lemon drink business, and a P10m brand ambassadorship contract for a beauty clinic, according to company announcements on social media.

Those who share the same name as Yulo are also in luck, as celebrations sweep the country. Cafes and restaurants have offered free meals or milkshakes to anyone named Carlos, Caloy (his nickname) or Edriel (his middle name), while a music venue offered free entry over the weekend to anyone whose name began with C.