BY REY C. LACHICA
PARIS – If gymnastics boss Cynthia Carreon reads her crystal ball right, then Carlos Yulo will go home with a gold medal hanging around his neck this time around.
Not only one, but two – that is if the stars would align on the day of the finals in the men’s artistic gymnastics of the Paris Olympics here.
“Relaxed lang si Caloy,” said Carreon enthusiastically during an interview a couple of hours after Yulo warmed the hearts of a small but highly appreciative PH delegation with a virtuoso performance on a rainy Saturday, July 27, at the famed Bercy Arena.
And to think that Yulo, 24, was not yet in “full gear” during the qualification round, the country is in for another massive celebration, perhapsw bigger than when weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz gave the country its first Olympic gold in the Covid-delayed Tokyo Games three years ago.
“He will be in full force and energy in the finals,” said Carreon. “Starting Monday, full force na siya sa training.”
Apart from the presence of Yulo’s girlfriend, the kind and lovely Chloe San Jose, the team strategy was the key to a stellar performance that pushed the little dynamo from Leveriza to the threshold of greatness.
Focusing his energy on the events where his chances are high, Yulo made it to the finals of the all-round, floor exercise and vault as he jumped and bounced with dexterity of a champion.
No Filipino athlete has this opportunity of winning multiple medals in a single edition since the country joined the global sporting war 100 years ago.
“He is good at floor exercise, maybe he would win the gold, and if he does well in vault, then at least two golds siya,” said Carreon.
He was a world champion twice – floor exercise in 2019 and vault 2021.
Unlike in the past, Yulo was a picture of peace, resilience and courage as he pumped his chest and pointed his fingers upward several times in a show of appreciation to a performance done almost perfectly.
Those gestures elicited louder applause and cheers not only from his girlfriend but also from PH officials, including Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino and Chief de Mission and Cavite Governor Jonvic Remulla.
Yulo has vowed to move heaven and earth to redeem himself after his failed bid in the Tokyo Games where he missed the chance of winning the bronze in vault by a whisker.
Standing in Yulo’s way in the floor exercise is his good friend – the Fil-British Jake Jarman.
Although the all-around is not his bread and butter, it where his journey for redemption begins as the finals is set on July 31. He advanced to the finals after finishing 9th with a total score of 83.631 points in the six apparatus events.
As expected, he was brilliant in the floor exercise, finishing second after collecting 14.766 behind a series jaw-dropping routines.
He shoots for history in this event where he is an Asian champion thrice on Aug. 3 with Tolentino and Philippine Sports Commission chairman Dicky Bachmann urging the entire nation to pray for Yulo’s success.
Showing his might, Jarman claimed the No. 1 seed with a score of 14.966. Also in the mix for the gold is reigning champion Artem Dolgopyat of Israel who ended up No. 7.
He was only good for No. 6 in vault with 14.683 points, but according to Carreon, Yulo is ready to soar and wage war on Aug. 4 in his intense desire to give the country its first gymnastics medal.
Chinese Zhang Boheng is the odds-on favorite to win the all-around gold after netting 88.597 with Japanese Daike Hashimoto, the defending champion, another wise bet after finishing third with 85.064.
Yulo, however, fared badly in other events – 49th in the rings, 40th in the pommel horse, 27th in the horizontal bar and 19th in the parallel bars.
