Rift with mum mars Filipino gymnast's Olympic triumphs

It was a Cinderella story that somehow turned into a tawdry telenovela.

- Raul Dancel, Mara Cepeda

Over two days last week, the 24-year-old Filipino gymnast Carlos Yulo took the top spot in the floor exercise and vault events at the Paris Olympic Games.

It was a historic achievement: Two Olympic gold medals that added to the first that the Philippines after a 97-year wait clinched at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, courtesy of weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz.

There was a massive eruption of pride and joy back home, as an archipelago of over 100 million people basked in the sheen of his medals.

Then, the online mob descended.

Keyboard warriors were quick to point out that Yulo left out his mother, Mrs Angelica Yulo, from people he thanked soon after he won his medals, and that she rather than congratulating her son - reposted on her Facebook page a news item supporting a Japanese gymnast who had beaten Yulo in the past.

Social media sleuths then dug up old Facebook posts by Ms Yulo that revealed a long-simmering dispute with her son, essentially over money. Apparently, Yulo felt aggrieved when his mother took the prize money he won at the 2022 World Championships from his account without telling him.

Ms Yulo, in turn, was outraged that her son would accuse her of stealing from him, and insisted she withdrew just enough money from his account for the family's needs.

She also took a swipe at Yulo's girlfriend, an Australian, claiming the girl had been a bad influence on him and had been trying to drive a wedge between her and her son.

This mother-son feud has been playing out in public for days, dulling some of the shine of Yulo's medals. Filipinos of all stripes chimed in, took sides and lost sight of the importance of what Yulo had achieved.

Ms Yulo was slandered in one post as "the most toxic mother of the year"