AFTER waiting for 97 years to produce its very first gold medal in the Olympics, the Philippines will now have a crack at three from its star gymnast in its centennial participation of the Games.
Carlos Yulo booked final seats in an unprecedented manner during the men’s artistic gymnastics of the Paris Olympics at the Bercy Arena, gifting the Philippines a chance at not just one, but three gold medals following the feat of weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz three years ago in Tokyo.
No Filipino athlete had reached multiple finals during the same edition of the Olympics, let alone win in those events.
The odds may be stacked for Yulo to sweep all three disciplines, but claiming at least a gold looms large.
The 24-year-old Yulo placed second after scoring 14.766 in the qualification round of the floor exercise, the event where he was a former world champion in 2019, and where he is currently a three-time Asian champion.
The floor final is on August 3.
Yulo’s first shot at an Olympic medal in Paris will actually come in the men’s all-around final on July 31, clinching that ticket after taking ninth place and accumulating a total score of 83.631 in the six apparatuses during Saturday’s qualification.
The Filipino gymnast also secured a place in the men’s vault, finishing sixth with a score of 14.683 to earn a right to play in another final on August 4 during the penultimate day of artistic gymnastics competitions.
Yulo screamed, pumped his fist, and pointed to the sky after his near-perfect execution in the floor exercise, taking his first step at redemption following a 44th place finish in the event during the Tokyo Olympics that also ousted him from a final spot in the all-around.
The Manila-born Yulo will also look to improve his fourth-place finish in the vault three years ago in Paris.
Jake Jarman of Great Britian took the top spot in the qualification of the floor exercise with a score of 14.966. Reigning champion Artem Dolgopyat of Israel will battle with Yulo for the gold after placing No. 7 in the qualification.
Zhang Boheng of China topped the qualification in the all-around with a score of 88.597, while defending champion Daike Hashimoto of Japan finished third after tallying 85.064.
Yulo placed 19th in the parallel bars (14.533), 27th in the horizontal bar (13.466), 40th in the pommel horse (13.066), and 49th in the rings (13.000).
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.
