Claim: A video clip shows Filipino gymnastics star Carlos Yulo’s tumbling routine at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France.
Rating: FALSE
Why we fact-checked this: Several videos are circulating on social media claiming to show Yulo’s performance at the Olympics.
On Facebook, the video was posted as a reel by an account with 6,200 followers. As of writing, the reel has over 6.7 million views, 68,200 likes, and 4,600 shares.
With the hashtags #ParisOlympics2024 and #PhilippinePride, the video bore the text: “Ako [‘yung] nahilo sa kanya, galing. Yulo in Paris Olympics 2024.” (I was the one who got dizzy because of him, amazing. Yulo in Paris Olympics 2024.)
The same video is also spreading on YouTube Shorts. One video with 13,000 views included the text: “Carlos Yulo lang malakas! Proud Pinoy here! Super galing naman! So amazing! #Olympics2024 #Gymnastics)
(Carlos Yulo is the best! Proud Filipino here! So impressive! So amazing! #Olympics2024 #Gymnastics)
The facts: The video does not show Yulo; nor was it taken at the Paris Olympics. By searching the keywords “29th Trampoline European Competitions” seen in the video’s background, Rappler found that the clip shows Azerbaijani athlete Aliyev Tofig, who won the silver medal at the tumbling (men’s individual) seniors event of the 2024 European Championships in trampoline, double mini-trampoline and tumbling.
The original video was posted on the TikTok account of European Gymnastics, one of the five continental unions under the International Gymnastics Federation, the governing body for gymnastics worldwide.
The original video’s caption clearly stated that the clip shows Tofig’s performance at the European competitions held in Guimaraes, Portugal from April 3 to 7, 2024. The athlete’s official account was even tagged in the Instagram version of the post.
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Carlos Yulo at the 2024 Olympics: The misleading videos posted on Facebook and YouTube were uploaded on July 29 and 31, respectively — before Yulo even secured his Olympic victory.
Dubbed the Philippines’ “golden boy,” Yulo made history as the country’s first double Olympic gold medalist after ruling the floor exercise and vault in the men’s artistic gymnastics competition in the Paris Olympics.
The 24-year-old Yulo posted 15.000 points in the men’s artistic gymnastics floor exercise final on Saturday, August 3, and averaged 15.116 points in the men’s artistic gymnastics vault final on Sunday, August 4, to deliver two historic Olympic golds for the Philippines in less than 24 hours.
With two golds from Yulo, the Philippines is in the 22nd spot in the medal tally as of 11 am, Tuesday, August 6 — tied with Azerbaijan and Serbia. As of writing, the Philippines has also matched its four-medal haul in Tokyo, as boxers Nesthy Petecio and Aira Villegas are each already guaranteed at least a bronze medal. – Larry Chavez/Rappler.com
Larry Chavez is a graduate of Rappler’s fact-checking mentorship program. This fact check was reviewed by a member of Rappler’s research team and a senior editor. Learn more about Rappler’s fact-checking mentorship program here.
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