Carlos Yulo faces busy schedule en route to Olympic bid

Carlos Yulo talks to the media after the unveiling of the new training center for grassroots gymnastics by the Japanese government. –ROMMEL FUERTES

MANILA, Philippines—Carlos Yulo is bracing for a tough schedule this year, which includes the Southeast Asian Games in May, in the lead-up to his bid to qualify for the Olympics anew.

Yulo will be headlining the Philippines pool for the men’s artistic gymnastics event in the biennial regional meet in Cambodia. He will be joined by John Decena, Justin Ace De Leon, Migs Besana, Christian Santillan and Ivan Cruz in the men’s team.

But before he gets to defend his titles in the SEA Games, Yulo will try to extend his winning run in the fourth and last leg of the FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Cup Series in Cairo, Egypt happening next month.

Yulo also compete in the  Asian Artistic Gymnastic Championships in Singapore in June.

“[I’m] just doing preparations, just like other competitions but these are hard ones because I need to reach the goals I set for myself after the Tokyo Olympics,” said Yulo, who is fresh from winning the men’s vault gold in the Baku leg of the World Cup last week.

Yulo is nothing but determined to make it back to the world’s biggest sporting stage after a letdown in Tokyo, where he failed to make to the final of floor exercise–where he was then world champion–and came up short of a medal in vault. 

“It’s hard to hang with the Olympians and world-type medalists and champions. Showing up there [in Tokyo], I was scared because I trained with those medalists in the training podium and actual competition hall,” Yulo said.

“I felt shy having to compete against them but reaching the Finals, I was able to prove to myself that I belong with those people as well.”

Yulo, who was in attendance for the unveiling of the  new training center for grassroots gymnastics at Rizal Memorial Sports Complex , said he is constantly working on his technique and routines. In fact, there won’t be any break for him while he’s back home in Manila.

“My floor [exercises] are slowly being made, in rings, quality-wise, I’m okay. I can also do basics already in the vault, but I’m having difficulties with the high bar. Highbar is the one I’m having difficulties with right now.”

In the last quarter of the year, Yulo will have to put all engines on blast when he competes in Antwerp, Belgium for the World Championships.