CARLOS Yulo will not see action for the Philippines during Asian Games this September to focus on a 'more impactful' campaign in a 2023 Artistic Gymnastics World Championships leg in Antwerp, Belgium.
Gymnastics Association of the Philippines president Cynthia Carreon explained why the 23-year old star had to beg off from the Asiad despite pleadings from Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president Bambol Tolentino.
READ: Yulo wins parallel bars gold in Baku leg of World Cup
The Antwerp competition, Carreon said, is a key leg in the World Cup series that serves as qualifier for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
"Caloy will not compete in Asian Games," Carreon told SPIN.ph. "We went to Germany, Doha, among others, so we cannot skip Belgium."
The Asian Games in China is penciled for September 23 to October 8, clashing with the World Championships slated for September 30 to October 8.
Competing in both is a big risk to Yulo's health, she said.
"Bambol [Tolentino] begged us to make Caloy go to Asian Games, but we cannot, we joined the worlds. It might be days apart, but we cannot risk his health, what if he gets injured? We want to qualify as early as we can so he could concentrate on his training for Paris," Carreon said.
Yulo and a few more Pinoy gymnasts are bound for Singapore next week for the Asian Artistic Championships, a qualifier for the worlds.
"Caloy is doing well in Japan and we're going to SG on Monday. We cannot risk fatigue on his end, we want to focus on the Olympics," she added.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
