Karl Eldrew Yulo battled through a painful right ankle injury to secure the bronze medal in the men’s floor exercise of the 3rd FIG Artistic Gymnastics Junior World Championships on Sunday at the Manila Marriott Grand Ballroom in Pasay City.
Yulo, visibly cautious with his landings following the injury he sustained the previous day, posted 13.733 points while performing second among eight finalists. He incurred a 0.100 deduction after stepping out of bounds on his second tumbling pass and was forced to wait out the performances of the remaining gymnasts to determine his medal standing.
The Filipino was the top scorer in the apparatus during Saturday’s all-around final with 14.300 points. This time, China’s Yang Langbin took the gold with 13.833, while Italy’s Simone Speranza claimed silver with 13.766. Without the penalty, Yulo could have surpassed Speranza’s tally.
Competing in his final event as a junior, the 16-year-old struggled to contain his emotions as he dedicated the finish to the home crowd. “Masakit pa rin po. We still managed to compete with it. We still managed to get bronze. Because that’s us — we’re Filipino,” Yulo said, fighting back tears.
Gymnastics Association of the Philippines president Cynthia Carrion said the result was commendable given Yulo’s condition. She added that his Japanese physiotherapist, Junpei Kono, extended his stay to continue treatment. “His foot was injured, so the outcome was understandable,” Carrion said. “We still have the vault and high bar tomorrow. I hope and pray his foot will be better.”
Philippine Sports Commission chairman Patrick Gregorio, who watched the performance beside FIG president Morinari Watanabe, said Yulo showed promise befitting a future star. “I could not breathe,” Gregorio said. “This was Carlos Yulo 2.0 performing in Manila. A great start for our young boy. He is very young and he performed against the best in the world.”
