Carlos Yulo has to improve his performance in steel rings, where he settled for a silver in the SEA Games. —TRISTAN TAMAYO
World champion gymnast Carlos Edriel Yulo elicited deafening cheers from the energized crowd at Rizal Memorial Coliseum every time he completed a strenuous routine.
Over at New Clark City Stadium in Capas, Tarlac, fans held their breath before exploding into applause after pole vaulter EJ Obiena cleared the bar high above the ground.
As expected, both Yulo and Obiena claimed gold medals in their favored disciplines in the 30th Southeast Asian Games, a sign of better days ahead for both qualifiers to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
“I’m looking forward to the Olympics. All of my efforts will be directed toward a great performance in Tokyo,’’ said Obiena, the reigning Asian champion who owns a personal best of clearing 5.81 meters.
The 24-year-old Obiena will return to Italy early next year to continue improving his craft under renowned coach Vitaly Petrov, who mentored Ukranian Sergey Bubka and Russian Yelena Isinbayeva to unparalleled fame in the world championships and the Olympics.
The current bronze-medal standard in Olympic men’s pole vault is 5.85 meters by Sam Kendricks of the United States while Brazilian Thiago Braz da Silva owns the Olympic record of 6.03 meters.
“I’m not satisfied [with my performance], but I’m happy because I didn’t expect anything,’’ said Yulo, who captured two golds in the all-around finals of men’s artistic gymnastics and floor exercise where the 19-year-old wonder is the world champion.
“In the Olympics, we are working on raising the difficulty of my routine on the floor,’’ Yulo added after likewise garnering five silver medals.
The 4-foot-8 bundle of energy will return to Japan after the holidays with his Japanese coach Munehiro Kugimiya.
After fulfilling her mission in the SEA Games, Rio de Janeiro silver medalist Hidilyn Diaz will train her sights on a pair of qualifying meets in January at the Roma 2020 World Cup and the 2020 Senior Weightlifting Championships in Kazakhstan come April.
“There will be no rest for me, even during Christmas and the coming New Year. I have to make the sacrifice to improve my technique and make progress for the Olympics,’’ said Diaz, also the reigning Asian Games champion who clinched two bronzes in the world championships.
Diaz ruled the women’s 55-kilogram category in the SEA Games and is well on her way to a fourth straight appearance in the Olympics.
Another Olympic prospect is skateboarder Margielyn Didal, the Asian Games champion who pocketed the golds in the Game of Skate and street events in the biennial meet held in Tagaytay City.
The 19-year-old Cebuana pulled off a pair of victories in California two months ago, boosting her bid to Tokyo before she competes in an Olympic ranking competition in Rio de Janeiro early next year.
Judokas Kiyomi Watanabe (63 kg), Mariya Takahashi (70 kg) and Shugen Nakano (men’s 66 kg) are likewise working on their rankings to make it to the Tokyo Games while the taekwondo jins led by Pauline Lopez (57 kg) are looking to book a spot.
World champion Nesthy Petecio (57 kg), middleweight Eumir Marcial and flyweight Rogen Ladon headline the national boxers, who will go through a pair of qualifying meets next year in an effort to don the national colors in the Olympics. Golfers Yuka Saso and SEA Games women’s individual gold medalist Bianca Pagdanganan also have a shot to secure a Tokyo stint together with Filipino gold winners Jamie Cristine Lim and Junna Tsukii (karatedo), Hermie Macaranas (canoeing), Kristel Macrohon (weightlifting) and tracksters Kristina Knott and Eric Cray.
Trap shooters Eric Ang, Carlos Carag and Hagen Topacio, who ruled the men’s team event, are hoping to make it to the Games as well as windsurfers Geylord Coveta and Yancy Kaibigan.