Being a world-class athlete was difficult and would require multiple people to collaborate to produce one.
In the case of two-time Olympic gold medalist Carlos Yulo, he may never have reached his goal without his team of experts who were tasked to improve his physique and mentality.
One of the people behind Carlos’ gold finish was his sports occupational therapist, Hazel Calawod, who ensured the gymnast’s well-being.
Hazel was a graduate of Occupational Therapy at the University of the Philippines and also finished Ergonomics and Human Factor studies at the prestigious Harvard University.
Due to her expertise, she also knew how to improve not only the physical well-being of an athlete but also their mentality.
“As an occupational therapist, I just don’t delve into the physical aspect of the person, I am also equipped with knowledge about the brain,” she said.
“Despite the physical aspect of being an athlete, a big battle within them really is how they are going to gain that momentum mentally,” she added.
Aside from Carlos, she also worked with several athletes, and an E-Sport team as a mind coach.
“Now that you’re getting a lot of technical information for the game plan, how is he managing it from a Carlos Yulo perspective,” she said.
Meanwhile, some netizens couldn’t stop but to ship the two after they saw the beauty of Hazel.
“Bagay sila OMG,” netizen Maiden said.
“Look elegant, sila dapat nasa likud ni Carlos,” netizen Jasmin commented.