People say it takes a village to raise a child, but for two-time Olympic gold medalist Carlos Yulo, it takes a solid support system to achieve his Olympian dreams, allowing him to be fully prepared to compete in Paris.
One of the key people in this support system is sports occupational therapist Hazel Calawod, who conditions Caloy’s mind and oversees his biomechanics, gathering scientific data to optimize his performance and provide crucial support during rigorous training and high-stakes competitions.
During a recent forum, coach Hazel shared that becoming an Olympian like Caloy requires more than just mental conditioning. As one of the key speakers at the “Move with PowHER” forum, an inspiring event dedicated to women’s wellness and empowerment conducted by Watsons Philippines, the sports occupational therapist discussed what a young athlete should possess to follow in the footsteps of the country’s “golden boy.”
“One, you have to have grit, right? Sports is a highly competitive environment. It’s no joke. Every day, you’re going to compete with yourself. Every day, you’re going to have to learn about your weaknesses because if you’re going to be an Olympian and if you want to have gold medals or be at that level, every day you have to constantly discover what else you can do, what else is out there, what else you are missing,” said coach Hazel.
She added that part of having that grit is maintaining a healthy form of perfection, emphasizing that it helps an athlete reach the top level in their sport.
“You need to have a healthy form of perfection. Healthy is the word because at that level, to perform at the top .0001 percent of your sport—that takes a lot of dedication, learning, and waking up even though your body is tired, but you are very committed to what you envision yourself to achieve. You have to show up for your dreams because you are the only one who understands what your dream is,” she continued.
The second thing she highlighted was the importance of being open and dedicated to learning.
“Number two, you need to be coachable because if you have too much ego, it’s going to limit your ability to learn. If you’re not able to listen to people, you know, sometimes the coaches can be very intense, right? But also, you, as an athlete willing to go on this route, need to pick up little things from people so that it adds value to your dreams,” the coach added.
Calawod also stressed the importance of surrounding yourself with people who genuinely want to help you along your journey.
“Three, find people with the right credentials to help you because even if you have the dream if you don’t have the right people to get you there, there might be others working with athletes who can push their athletes beyond your capacity. So you have to study the people you will be working with,” she stated.
She then emphasized the importance of good recovery, knowing your body’s limits, and learning when to pause and rest.
“If you constantly train without taking care of your body and mind, you might break. If you break, you can’t train anymore, and then you’ll slide backward. Your preparation timeline for competitions will crack as well. Then you become your own enemy towards your dream. So, strategy—build a great strategy and stick to it,” Calawod added.
