Thanks to Carlos Yulo, Philippine gymnastics makes a quantum leap

THE country is expected to enjoy a gymnastics boom following the double gold-medal victory of Carlos Yulo in the Paris Olympics.

The 24-year-old Yulo was magnificent in taking the floor exercise gold, beating the world's best including the defending champion. He completed the Paris double and added to his legend with victory in the vault on Sunday.

Yulo's unprecedented win put the sport in the national consciousness - a monumental triumph not only for Yulo but for the whole Philippine gymnastics community.

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Before Yulo's ascendancy, gymnastics was a sport often in the background, languishing along with swimming, taekwondo and athletics which often have Olympic representatives but not making much headway.

Not surprising because gymnastics bets were way out of their league before Yulo came along,

Tokyo 1964 was the first time the country competed in the Olympics. All Filipino gymnasts finished last.

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Fortunato Payao finished 129^th after tallying 11.50 in floor and 7.50 in vault to collect 19.00 in all-around, while Demetrio Pastrana was at the bottom of the 130 competitors after scoring 6.50 in floor and 5.00 in vault for a 11.50 todatl in all-around.

It was tougher for the women as Evelyn Magluyan wound up at 83^rd after finishing with 29.464 in all-around with marks of 15.132 in floor and 14.332 in balance beam, while Maria-Luisa Floro finished scoreless and ended up tied at 84^th with Lynette Hancock of Australia and Chai Kuang-Tai of Taiwan.

The Philippines was also represented in Olympic gymnastics in Mexico City in 1968, but only in the men's competition. The results were the same.

PHOTO: FIG

Norman Henson finished 116^th after registering 7.70 in floor, 6.60 in rings, 8.40 in vault, and 4.95 in parallel bars to collect 27.65 for his all-around marks. He did not participate in pommel horse and horizontal bar.

Ernesto Beren wasn’t far behind at 117^th with his 19.00 mark in all-around behind 6.10 in floor, 6.25 in rings, and 6.65 in parallel bars. He also did not join vault, pommel horse, and horizontal bar.

It took 53 years before the Filipinos were represented in the gymnastics events in the Olympics, and it was Yulo who ended that drought in Tokyo 2020.

Unfortunately, his Olympic debut was forgettable as he only advanced to one final – in vault where he finished fourth with 14.712. It was tougher because he also failed to advance in the final of his floor exercise, his favorite event.

Three years later in Paris, redemption came in the form of not one but two gold medals.

How sweet.