MANILA, Philippines – Carlos Yulo fueled hopes that he has a shot at winning in the 2024 Paris Olympics after a stellar stint in the Men’s Artistic Gymnastics Asian Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
Eyeing an improved showing in Paris after going home empty-handed in the Tokyo Games, Yulo completed a four-gold haul in the continental showdown by ruling the vault and parallel bars on Sunday, May 19.
Also triumphant in the individual all-around and floor exercise, Yulo emerged as the best performing senior male athlete in the Asian championships for the third straight year.
Like in floor exercise, Yulo reigned in the vault and parallel bars for the third consecutive edition.
Yulo scored 15.233 and 14.533 on his two vaults for an average of 14.883 points as he edged Uzbekistan’s Abdulaziz Mirvaliev, who settled for silver with 14.783 points.
Malaysia’s Muhammad Sharul Aimy – the last to perform out of the eight finalists – earned 14.466 points for the bronze, bumping the Philippines’ Juancho Miguel Besana (14.15) off the podium.
In parallel bars, Yulo saved the best for last in the final after placing fourth in the qualification as he netted 15.133 points – a score big enough to repel a gutsy challenge from China’s Yin Dehang.
Yin bagged silver with 15.033 points, while top qualifier Rasuljon Abdurakhimov of Uzbekistan nailed the bronze with 14.866 points.
Also qualified for the horizontal bar final, Yulo fell short of replicating the bronze he won last year in the same apparatus as he placed fourth with 13.433 points.
Kazakhstan’s Milad Karimi claimed the horizontal bar title with 15.033 points, while China’s Tian Hao (14.3) and Liao Jialei (13.8) secured the remaining podium spots.
With four mints in Tashkent, Yulo eclipsed his golden loot in the last two editions.
Yulo won three golds and one silver in 2022 in Doha, Qatar, and three golds, one silver, and one bronze in 2023 in Singapore.
His brother Eldrew also delivered, with the younger Yulo coming out victorious in vault in the junior level as the Philippines concluded the tournament as the second-best performing nation with five golds.
China topped the medal table with six golds, six silvers, and two bronzes. – Rappler.com