By REY C. LACHICA
PARIS – After weathering several storms in his young life, gymnast Carlos Yulo thought he would be strong enough not to cry anymore or be emotional.
But the weight of his Olympic triumph – a gold medal at that – was so heavy and overwhelming that he cried unabashedly before a happy crowd on Saturday, Aug. 3 at the Bercy Arena here.
“It was hard to stop,” said Yulo, very thankful that he finally savored the sweetness of what could be his greatest triumph of all time bar none.
He is set to compete in his third and last finals in the Paris Olympics – in vault – on Sunday afternoon, Aug. 4, with Philippine Olympic Committee President Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino and Philippine Sports Commission Chairman Dickie Bachmann looking for another wondrous performance from the proud son of Leveriza in Manila.
“I am so happy. I remembered all the trials in my life and I thanked God that He never let me down” said Yulo, his eyes still red due to non-stop crying after winning the gold in the floor exercise – his signature event.
It was in this event where he first shot into international prominence after winning the gold in the World Championships in 2019 in Stuttgart, Germany
Recalling that brilliance, Yulo produced an eye-popping 15.000 score — thanks to a 6.6 degree of difficulty and 8.400 in execution.
The marked improvement in the degree of difficulty – from 6.2 to 6.6 – spelled the difference.
Unlike in the all-around where he ended up 12th among 24 finalists, Yulo performed without hesitation this time around.
“Actually, I adjusted my score in the qualification for me to qualify safely and because it was really stressful for my body as well as for my mind,” said Yulo. “On the final, I just went for it and did not hesitate.”
But he admitted having some troubled nights before the big moment, saying: “I was nervous for two days thinking about my performance.”
It was evident in his first landing as he almost wobbled after doing a spectacular routine.
But as soon he got his rhythm everything went into motion perfectly – smooth like silk.
His routines – 2.5 twist to front double pike and front double full to double front, triple twist side pass, front layout to full front 2.5 twist – were a joy to watch.
Even those inside the massive arena let out a long and wild applause after he ended his magical performance with a 3.5 twist.
What made Yulo’s win the more impressive was he dethroned Tokyo Games champion Artem Dolgopyat of Israel, who tallied 14.966, and Fil-British Jake Jarman who produced 14.933.
Jarman was picked heavily to rule the event after topping the prelims with a score of 14.966, but it was Yulo who delivered the most enthralling show, what with his aerial artistry.
Yulo’s gold medal was second by the country in 100 years of participation or three years since weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz reigned supreme in the Covid-delayed 2020 Tokyo Games.
This could be a life-changing feat for Yulo as financial rewards are expected to come left and right when he goes home.
