By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Gymnast Carlos Yulo proved he’s still a world beater as the pride of Manila produced yet another virtuoso performance that silenced and retreated his distractors back into a corner.
Showing his readiness for the 2024 Paris Olympics, the Tokyo Games veteran collected one gold and one silver medal in the FIG Apparatus World Cup Series in Doha, Qatar on Saturday, April 19.
The two-time world champion first dazzled in the vault final, scoring 15.066 points for the silver medal behind eventual gold medalist and world champion Artur Davtyan of Armenia.
The Manila native first scored 15.333 on his first vault, followed by 14.800 on his second.
Davtyan, who also won the bronze in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, wowed the judges by posting a 15.166 average to rule the event — 15.200 on his first vault and 15.133 on his second.
Yahour Sharamkou bagged the bronze with 14.749.
Yulo’s final performance was far better than his qualification score of 14.966 — the second highest score behind top qualifier Davtyan, who posted 15.116.
A few hours later, Yulo returned with vengeance, coming through with a near-flawless performance despite his delicate routines at the parallel bars.
Combining power and grace – not to mention great timing – Yulo tallied 15.200 to win pulling away.
Chinese Taipei’s Hung Yuan-Hsi settled for silver in 14.966, while Brazil’s Caio Souza won the bronze with 14.566.
Yulo’s medal feats, somehow, erased the stigma of his failed campaign in his pet event, the floor exercise, where he did not advance to the finals after placing at distant 21st with a disappointing score of 12.666.
Overall, Yulo’s medal performance was a big boost to his preparations for the Olympics, where he hopes to land at the podium this time.
