KARL ELDREW YULO’S journey has begun.
It started on Sunday after the 18-year-old younger brother of Paris Olympics double gold winner Carlos snatched a bronze medal in the men’s floor exercise of the third FIG Junior World Artistic Gymnastics Championships at the Marriott Grand Ballroom in Pasay City.
Mr. Yulo registered a 13.733 for that bronze with the gold going to Chinese Yang Lanbin, who had a 13.833, and the silver to Italian Simone Speranza, who had a 13.766.
“I really don’t know what to say because this is not just any competition. It really made me cry,” said an emotional Mr. Yulo. “This is just the start of my journey and I know there will be more disappointments and happiness at the same time.”
And not even a right sprained ankle he sustained in the individual all-around finals on Saturday could stop Mr. Yulo from achieving the biggest performance of his young career.
“It still hurts a lot but I managed to still compete and get a bronze because we’re Filipinos, we fight to the end,” he said.
But it almost did.
Running third entering the turn of Russian Arsenii Dukhno, who was eight and last in the order, Mr. Yulo could only watch helplessly as the latter was the favorite to rule the event after ruling the individual all-around finale on Saturday and posting highest score in the floor exercise in both that finals and the qualification phase on Thursday.
Mr. Dukhno, however, faltered and landed bad twice including one where he went out of the line that sent him from a potential gold winner to ending up with not a single medal as he wound up fourth with a 13.733.
It was all jubilation for Mr. Yulo, who knew he had already sealed his breakthrough medal in this mammoth event.
“I was biting my nails during that time and I was telling myself it would be okay to finish fifth or fourth and did my best and fought even though I was in pain,” he said.
“I’m just thankful to God for giving me this opportunity and the strength. I’m just ecstatic even though it’s just a bronze and I wasn’t able to hear our National Anthem being played, I still managed to raise our flag for all of us,” he said.
In spite of the tweaked ankle, Mr. Yulo said he would still go for medals in vault and horizontal bar finals.
“I’m aspiring in the high (horizontal) bar. In the vault, I would be enduring the pain but I would still fight and do everything in my power to get that medal,” he said.
When asked what he will do to manage the pain, Mr. Yulo said he won’t take pain relievers.
“All ice and maybe acupuncture,” he said. — Joey Villar