Gymnast Carlos Edriel “Caloy” Yulo continues to shine on the world stage with a bronze medal performance at the Melbourne leg of the FIG Artistic Individual Apparatus World Cup series in Australia.
The victory keeps alive, Yulo’s dream of competing in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Competing in his first tournament as an elite (senior) athlete, the 18-year-old placed fifth in the men’s vault qualification round where the top eight athletes get to advance to the final round.
In the final, he and Japanese Kaisuke Asato both scored 14.233 points. But the Japanese was given a -3 deduction, which paved the way for Yulo’s bronze finish in the tournament where athletes can earn points to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.
Christopher Remkees of Australia scored 14.616 points to claim the gold medal, while Lee Chin Kai of Chinese Taipei got the silver medal with a score of 14.450 points.
The Gymnastics Association of the Philippines (GAP) said Yulo is scheduled to compete in two World Cups before the Asian Games in Indonesia as well as the World Championships to boost his chances to qualify in Tokyo.
Yulo, a two-time Palarong Pambansa champion, is a scholar of the Olympic Solidarity Program. Last year, Yulo collected the gold medal in the parallel bars event at the 14th Asian Junior Gymnastics Championships in Thailand.
In 2016, Yulo captured five medals, including golds, in the 8th Pacific Rim Gymnastics Championships at the Xfinity Arena in Everett, Washington.
He is one Filipino gymnast we should all watch out for on the international stage.
