Karl Eldrew Yulo, not just once, shines in gymnastics tilt

Gymnast Karl Eldrew Yulo. –JUNE NAVARRO

Karl Eldrew Yulo has been craving to step out of his famed sibling’s shadows for quite some time.

The 15-year-old brother of Carlos Yulo moved toward that direction on Sunday, pocketing four gold medals in the 2023 JRC Stars Artistic Gymnastics Championships at Island Hall in Bangkok, Thailand.

Yulo, a silver medalist in the junior men’s vault of the Asian Artistic Gymnastics in Singapore middle of this year, again ruled the same event along with the parallel bars, floor exercise and still rings.

He took the silver medal in the all-around event and got a bronze in the pommel horse against prime competition from Singapore, Malaysia and the host nation.

“We practiced a lot of our routines before the competition,” said Gymnastics Association of the Philippines trainer-coach Reylan Capellan after arriving on Monday.

Yulo topped the floor exercise with 13.100 points for the gold, the same event where Carlos Yulo became a world champion in 2019.

Singapore’s Jia Le Jovi Loh (12.400) and Asher Pua (12.000) bagged the silver and bronze, respectively.

The multiple gold winner in the Palarong Pambansa and the Philippine Sports Commission Batang Pinoy dominated the still rings with 12.450 points. Japan’s Fuga Nomura and Singapore’s Loh wound up with a silver medal each with identical 12.400 scores.

Yulo topped the vault (13.650 points) while Malaysia’s Nor Adam Asha secured the silver with 12.775 and Thailand’s Sittichok Phimthong bagged the bronze (12.675).

The parallel bars likewise became Yulo’s turf along with Singapore’s Loh as both ended up tied for the gold with similar 13.100 scores.

Wilson Yeoh Wei Sin of Malaysia settled for bronze with 12.200.

Meanwhile, Yulo’s younger sister Iza snatched the silver in the vault as the Yulo siblings collected a total of seven medals in the competition.Yulo bagged six gold medals in the Palarong Pambansa early this year.