By Kristel Satumbaga
Carlos Yulo dazzled the crowd with world-class performance to capture the individual all-around gold medal in men’s artistic gymnastics at the 30th Southeast Asian Games on Sunday.
Competing before a packed crowd at the Rizal Memorial Sports Coliseum, which is just a stone’s throw away from his house Leveriza, Manila, Yulo displayed jaw-dropping routines in six apparatus and finished with 84.900 points.
The 19-year-old topped his pet event, floor exercise with 14.650 points as well as the horizontal bar with 13.750, while settling for second in still rings (13.600), vault (14.550) and parallel bars (14.400). He finished third in pommel horse (13.600).
Vietnam’s Dinh Phuong Thanh and Le Thanh Tung, who won two gold medals each in the 2017 Kuala Lumpur edition, settled for silver and bronze medals with 82.350 and 81.700 points.
At first, fans thought Yulo will just settle for runner-up honors after entering the victory ceremony last. But the crowd roared in delight when the world champion gymnast moved to the middle to signify that he won the gold medal.
Yulo was grateful of the crowd support that he and his national teammates received.
“Wala akong masabi sa suporta ng mga tao. Iba po talaga pag dito sa atin (mag-compete),” he said on his debut appearance in the biennial meet.
“Sa totoo, mas kinabahan po ako dito compared sa world championship.”
Yulo was referring to his stint at the 49th FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championship in Stuttgart, Germany last month, where he made history by becoming the first Filipino and male Southeast Asian to win the gold medal by topping the floor exercise.
With his all-around feat, Yulo guns for more medals in the apparatus final on Tuesday and Wednesday in his bid to sweep all his seven events.
Finals in floor exercise, pommel horse and still rings will be on Tuesday while vault, parallel bar and horizontal bar finals will be on Wednesday.
Yulo admitted it wouldn’t be an easy task.
“May magagaling din po kasi akong kalaban dito kaya hindi ko rin po masabi,” he said.
