bestGymnastics star Carlos Yulo and aces from various fronts who cracked the Paris Olympics got Philippine sports off to a hot start in the second quarter of 2024.
Yulo, himself booked for a second Olympiad stint, copped the gold medal in parallel bars (15.200 points) and silver in vault (15.066) in the FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Cup Series in Qatar in a brilliant performance recognized by the Philippine Sportswriters Association as the top achievement for April.
Fil-Am Levi Jung Ruivivar complemented Yulo’s haul with a silver in the uneven bars (13.633) – a feat that earned her precious Olympic Qualifying Points and ultimately, a ticket to the July 26 to Aug. 11 Games.
Joining them in the monthly honor roll were weightlifters Elreen Ando, Vanessa Sarno and John Ceniza, fencer Samantha Catantan and rower Joanie Delgaco, the latest additions to the country’s Olympic contingent.
Ando delivered a tour de force showing in the IWF World Cup in Phuket, where she won her faceoff with Tokyo champion Hidilyn Diaz for the lone Philippine slot in the women’s -59kg class. Ando’s 228kg total lift eclipsed the 224kg of Diaz, denying the latter the opportunity for a follow up to her historic triumph in the old -55kg category.
Sarno set a new national mark of 110kg in snatch en route to a ticket to Paris in women’s 71kg play as Ceniza secured his debut in the men’s 61kg event.
Catantan won the women’s foil final of the Asia Oceania Zone Olympic Qualifiers in Fujairah, UAE en route to becoming the Philippine’s first female fencer to qualify for the Olympics.
Delgaco rowed to history as well as the first Pinay to punch an Olympiad ticket with her fourth place in the women’s single sculls final of the World Rowing Asia and Oceania Olympic Qualifiers in Chungju, South Korea.
More Philippine bets brought home medals from international meets.
Yulo’s younger brother Karl Eldrew topped the junior floor and vault events in the Pacific Rim Championship in Cali, Colombia as cousin John Ivan Cruz ruled the men’s vault in the country’s three-gold, three-silver, one-bronze haul.
Sebastian Manalac, Joan Lumbao, Sakura Alforte, Arianne Brito, Alwyn Batican, and Kirk Zamayla delivered the Philippines’ six golds in the 11th Southeast Asian Karate Federation Championship in Bangkok.
Long jump stalwart Janry Ubas triumphed at the Singapore Open while Anton Dungog, Arcenio Cadlos and the troika of Dorothy Asuncion, James Yray and Enrico Ostia struck gold in the 3rd SISB Aerobic Gymnastics Open in the Thai capital.
