ELDREW Yulo bagged the bronze medal in floor exercise in the 3rd FIG Artistic Gymnastics Junior World Championships at the Marriott Grand Ballroom in Pasay City.
Yulo submitted a score of 13.733, enough for a podium finish to make history for the Philippines before home fans in his brother Carlos' favorite event.
It was the first-ever medal of the Philippines in the FIG junior world championships.
Yang Lanbin of China topped the final with a score of 13.833 while Simone Speranza of Italy took the silver medal with 13.733.
Drama unfolded when all-around champion Arsenii Dukhno of Russia incurred an out-of-bounds deduction in the event's final routine. He finished fourth due to the penalty and ended up with 13.633.
Tears of joy for Yulo
The 17-year-old Yulo wept as a seven-month training under Japanese coach Munehiro Kugimiya to augment the preparation he had under his coach Reynald Capellan paid off.
“Nakakaiyak sobra siyempre. Magiistart pa lang journey ko. Marami pa po akong pagdadaanan,” said the brother of two-time Olympic gold medalist Carlos Yulo.
“I still managed to compete with this even though I injured myself yesterday. I’m a Filipino. We will fight. Nararamdaman ko na rin po sa podium pero iniisip ko na lang, hindi ko na masyadong iindahin ito. Focus na lang ako. After na lang,” said Yulo.
Yulo won the bronze despite nursing an injury in his right foot during the all-around qualifications last Saturday.
Yulo will still be vying for medals in the junior worlds on Monday as he is also entered in the vault and horizontal bar final in the final day of the competitions.
The Filipino gymnast said he might lower the difficulty in his routine in the vault due to the pain in his right foot.
“I think I can do more pero pinipigilan lang po ako ng paa ko,” said Yulo.
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