FIEL– Philippines’ Carlos Yulo in action during the men’s qualification in the SEA Games 2023. REUTERS/Chalinee Thirasupa
Carlos Yulo has trained for so long in Japan. He’s more than ready to transfer his camp here.
“It boosts my personality and character whenever I train with the team. I also get to help them improve if I stay here (in Manila),’’ said Yulo.
Relocating his camp while preparing for the world championships slated Sept. 30 to Oct. 8 will be a significant change for Yulo, who developed into a world-level champion while training for most of the last seven years in Tokyo, Japan.
And the yearning for home is starting to intensify for the 23-year-old top Filipino gymnast, who wants to be near family and friends.
“Carlos has improved a lot in Japan and learned skills that others cannot. But I think he can perform better if he’s happy,’’ said Gymnastics Association of the Philippines (GAP) president Cynthia Carrion-Norton.
“And he’s happy whenever his friends and family are around,’’ she added.
Yulo will still travel to Japan once in a while, but majority of his training will be done at the GAP gymnasium with the rest of the gymnastics team in Intramuros, Manila, from now until the world championships in Antwerp, Belgium.
Crucial tournament
Carlos Yulo with his Japanese coach Munehiro Kugimiya. MUNEHIRO KUGIYAMA FACEBOOK
The tournament is crucial for Yulo. He needs to finish in the top eight in the men’s all-around in Belgium to secure a ticket to the 2024 Paris Olympics. More importantly, a medal finish will allow him to perform in the apparatuses.
But the need to perfect his craft must now be balanced with his hunger for home.
“While we want Carlos to qualify for the Olympics and win a medal, we also want to focus on his personality and well-being,’’ said Carrion-Norton.
The two-time world champion recently asserted himself in the Asian Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Singapore, winning three gold medals (floor, vault and parallel bars) while also tabbing a silver (all-around) and a bronze (horizontal bars).
Yulo also thinks training here will benefit others.
“I inspire my teammates and I want to share my experiences and motivate them that they can also do it,’’ he said.
Since 2016, Yulo has been training with coach Munehiro Kugimiya.