Gymnast Yulo becomes 2nd Filipino to earn berth in Tokyo Olympics
Credit to Author: JEAN RUSSEL V. DAVID| Date: Tue, 08 Oct 2019 07:57:30 +0000
CARLOS Edriel Yulo became the second Filipino to earn an Olympic berth after advancing to the men’s all-around finals on Monday (Tuesday in Manila) in the 49th FIG Artistic Gymnastics Championships at the Hans Martin Halle in Stuttgart, Germany.
The 19-year old gymnast from Manila finished at 16th spot overall, out of 160 competitors, to earn the coveted ticket for next year’s Tokyo Olympics.
He compiled a total of 82.164 points from his six apparatus events.
The 2018 World Championships bronze medalist Yulo emerged as the second Filipino to qualify in the quadrennial meet after pole vaulter Ernest John Obiena sealed his own ticket early last month in Italy.
Yulo’s qualification was confirmed in an official press notice issued by the International Gymnastics Federation, known by its French acronym FIG, which was received by Gymnastics Association of the Philippines (GAP) secretary general Bettina Pou back in Manila.
“Thank you my dear family in sports. He performed beautifully in front of a 30 or more crowd who applauded him and wow’d him,” said GAP president Cynthia Carreon in a statement to The Manila Times.
“He said he could hear my voice shouting “Go Caloy,” she added.
Carreon mentioned that Yulo’s Japanese coach Munehiro Kugiyima prepared the country’s top bet not just in terms of strength and skill but most especially his mentality and spirituality.
“Imagine the best athletes from 80 counties vying for the Olympics. Let’s see now how he makes it for the finals Altho but he is already qualified for 2020 Olympics,” Carreon affirmed.
Shortly after his performance, Yulo admitted that he felt the pressure during the competition.
“I was a bit nervous and my legs were shaking,” said Yulo, who will have a three-day break to fine tune his routine before he compete on Friday’s all-around finals. WITH A BREAK FROM JOSEF T. RAMOS