WHILE the Vietnam Southeast Asian Games and Hangzhou Asian Games are in his radar, gymnast Carlos Edriel Yulo is more focused on the Asian Gymnastics meet in Doha, Qatar in June that serves as a qualifier for the World Championships in Liverpool, England in October.
“I need to place in the top five of the all-around event of the Asian championships so I can compete in the worlds again,” said Yulo last Saturday during the formal opening of the MVP Sports Foundation Gymnastics Center of the Gymnastics Association of the Philippines in Intramuros, Manila.
Gracing the occasion were International Gymnastics Federation President Morinari Watanabe of Japan, Philippine Sports Commission Commissioner Celia Kiram, representing Chairman William “Butch” Ramirez, International Olympic Executive Board Member Mikee Cojuangco, former President and Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and MVPSF Executive Director Jude Torcuato.
“We would like thank the Philippine Sports Commission and the MVP Sports Foundation for enabling us to have a new home for our national gymnasts after we found it a challenge to have a training facility during the pandemic,” GAP President Cynthia Carrion said.
After a lackluster Tokyo Olympics outing, Yulo bounced back last October to bag the men’s vault gold medal and a silver in the parallel bars in the 40th FIG Artistic Gymnastic World championships in Kitakyushu, Japan.
The diminutive dynamo is keen on recapturing the men’s floor exercise mint he won in the 2019 edition in Stuttgart, Germany after bowing out in the eliminations of his pet event in the Tokyo Games.
The 41st FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships will be held from Oct. 16 to 25 in Liverpool, hometown of the world-renowned British band the Beatles.
It will be the maiden appearance of Yulo, who flew back to Tokyo, Japan early yesterday with Japanese coach Munehiro Kugimiya and physiotherapist Junpei Konno, in the continental showcase as a senior gymnast after skipping the 2019 edition in Ulan Bataar, Mongolia due to injury.
The meet was simultaneously held with the Asian junior competition in 2017 in Bangkok, Thailand where Yulo bagged the men’s parallel bars gold medal as a junior campaigner.
Kugimiya, who has nurtured the growth of Yulo into a world-class athlete, said he is confident that his prized ward would make it to the top five of the Doha meet, possibly even a podium finish if they play their cards right.
“It’s possible that Caloy (Yulo’s nickname) can even land a podium finish in the men’s all-around although it will be hard,” added the Japanese mentor, who preferred to keep their targets simple since they will be coming from the Vietnam SEA Games the previous month.
Yulo is keen on duplicating his superb finish during his debut in the 2019 SEA Games where he emerged as the country’s most bemedalled athlete with two gold and five silver medals.
“The new gym looks good and now I will be able to practice whenever I am in the country.
Malaking bagay po ito sa mga national gymnasts natin,” said Yulo, who had to cut his vacation short so he can attend his commencement exercises at the Teikyo University this week.
“Malaking bagay po itong diploma para sa akin,” noted Yulo, who will graduate with a degree in the humanities and will pursue further studies when he returns to the Japanese capital at the same institution.
