Paris Olympics: Yulo keeps medal bid despite 12th in all-around

CARLOS YULO, the Philippines’ top bet, may have ended 12th in the men’s artistic gymnastics individual all-around event at the 2024 Paris Olympics, but he still gave fans optimism for a medal for the country. 

Yulo failed to reach the podium after finishing 12th in the competition, with a total score of 83.032 after performing six apparatus in the first of three final events at the Summer Games. 

Despite the disappointing finish, Yulo was able to demonstrate several new tricks that he can take with him to future tournaments, and he views this as a valuable learning experience for himself and his team.

Still a win

The 24-year-old gymnastics star failed to repeat his best major tournament finish of eighth place at the 2022 World Championships in England. The Olympics, however, are unparalleled. 

Photo Courtesy: International Gymnastics Federation | Twitter

Shinnosuke Oka of Japan won the gold medal with a score of 86.832, while the Chinese combination of Boheng Zhang and Ruoteng Xiao took silver and bronze, respectively. 

The competition was as star-studded as it could be for this year’s Summer Games. Yulo won the still rings with 13.933 points and scored 14.333 points in his pet apparatus floor exercise.

Yulo scored an impressive 14.766 in his other favorite apparatus, the vault, despite deductions. The gymnast also managed to score 14.500 on parallel bars, which helped him recover from a botched pommel horse attempt. 

Overall, the 24-year-old demonstrated that he still has a chance to win his first Olympic medal, with strong performances in his favorite disciplines, floor exercise and vault.

Job not finished

Despite meeting his annual goals of improving and increasing his performance in a variety of apparatuses, in addition to his favorites, the Filipino star gymnast’s work is far from done.

“Sobrang saya ko po, [kasi] nagka-idea ako kung paano ko talaga siya ma-adjust sa practice,” says Yulo, who is still confident on his chances of not coming home empty handed this year.

“Medyo nawala ‘yung kaba ko, tapos mas nakapag-focus ako ng maayos. Medyo na-relax lang ako ng konti sa floor, pero may idea na ako kung paano ‘yung gagawin ko sa finals.”

Yulo will now proceed into his much-anticipated finals on floor exercise and vault, this time with a better perspective and more prepared execution of his routines, having completed two all-around stages to find his flow. 

The floor exercise medal round will take place on Saturday, August 3, at 9:30 p.m., followed by the vault final at 11:25 p.m. in the Bercy Arena. Filipinos can expect a well-prepared and confident Yulo this weekend.