More work to be done for Carlos Yulo ahead of Tokyo Olympics

Philippines’ Carlos Edriel Yulo reacts after performing on the floor during the apparatus finals at the FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships at the Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle in Stuttgart, southern Germany, on October 12, 2019. (Photo by Thomas KIENZLE / AFP)

Carlos Edriel “Caloy” Yulo sees his victory in the world championship as a springboard to confidently confront a much bigger challenge in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

“It will motivate me to work harder for the Olympics,” said Yulo in Filipino after winning the gold medal in the men’s floor exercise of the 49th FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships late Saturday in Stuttgart, Germany.

Well augured to finally bring home the elusive gold medal from the Olympics, the 19-year-old bundle of energy knows that duplicating the world championship feat in the Tokyo Summer Games will require more effort to perfect his craft.

“I’m very happy with my performance. But my coach has always been telling me that a lot of work still needs to be done,” said Yulo, who placed third in the worlds last year in the same event.

Japanese coach Munehiro Kugimiya, Yulo’s mentor for over six years, has transformed his ward into a world-class gymnast bound for the Olympics.

Yulo, who capped his routine of one minute and 19 seconds with a flashy triple twist in the air, scored 15.300 points in the floor to defeat Artem Dolgopyat of Israel (15.200) and China’s Xiao Ruoteng (14.933).

“We are all thrilled with the golden performance of Caloy. The Office of the President and the PSC (Philippine Sports Commission) family congratulates Caloy for this achievement,” said PSC Chairman William Ramirez.

Ramirez added that President Duterte is happy for Yulo while Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea and Senator Bong Go have been closely monitoring the competition.

Yulo, an awardee of the Philippine Sportswriters Association and the Siklab Sports Youth Awards, earlier booked a ticket to the 2020 Tokyo Summer Games after advancing to the finals of the men’s all-around and floor exercise events.

“Our hard work has paid off. I thank the entire country for the love and support,”said Gymnastics Association of the Philippines president Cynthia Carrion as she expressed her gratitude to Yulo’s chief backers, the PSC and the MVP Sports Foundation.

According to Carrion, the PSC pays for the salary of Kugiyama while the MVP Sports Foundation shoulders the education and training of Yulo in Japan.

“Some of my personal friends also helped finance Caloy. I hope our developmental team will continue to grow, so that more attention will be given to gymnastics,” said Carrion, also a board member of the Philippine Olympic Committee.

A cash windfall from the government will likewise excite Yulo to end the country’s gold-medal drought in the Olympics since a golden performance that will net P10 million from the PSC plus future endorsements can entirely alter the livelihood of his family.

Max Whitlock from Great Brittain won the gold medal in the floor during the 2016 Rio De Janeiro Olympics with a score of 15.633 based on difficulty and execution while Brazil’s Diego Hypolito and Arthur Mariano finished second (15.533) and third (15.433).