MANILA – Carlos Edriel Yulo was the smallest competitor but he stood tallest to deliver just the second gold for the Philippines in its 100-year participation in the Olympics.
The 24-year-old Yulo delivered what the country expected of him after a near-flawless routine in his pet event, floor exercise, at the Bercy Arena of the Paris Olympics late Saturday (PH time).
He crashed out in the finals three years ago in Tokyo but finally hit perfection to win it all.
“A final of the very highest quality,” the international gymnastics federation said.
The wunderkind performed third in order and scored exactly 15 points, enough to edge Israeli Artem Dolgopyat, the 2021 Tokyo champion who came right before him.
Dolgopyat tallied 14.966 points for silver, while Great Britain’s Jake Jarman, whose mother hails from Cebu province, captured the bronze with 14.933 points.
“I am confident that it will not be the last,” President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. posted on social media. “Congratulations, Caloy! The entire country stands proud with you!”
“Thanks to Carlos Yulo, we have another golden moment to celebrate. His dedication and skill have not only brought us immense pride but also highlighted the incredible talent of our nation. Thank you, Carlos, for making us proud and inspiring us with your success. Your achievements are a testament to your hard work and the spirit of our people. Here’s to making history and celebrating many more triumphs!” the Philippine Olympic Committee, for its part, said.
The 4-foot-9 Yulo rose to prominence after winning the 2019 Germany world championship, also on the floor. He plucked another gold in vault two years later in Japan.
Weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz delivered the Philippines’ first-ever Olympic gold in Tokyo.
Hours earlier, Ernest John “EJ” Obiena booked his place in the finals of men’s pole vault following the tension-filled qualifications at Stade De France.
Expected to make the next stage, the world No. 2 pole vaulter almost missed the cut after an early struggle but bounced back to seal his place in the last 12. The medal round is scheduled early Tuesday (PH time).
Yulo capturing the gold made up for boxer Carlo Paalam’s farewell from medal contention at Paris North Arena in the nearby city of Villepinte.
Paalam could not sustain a solid first round and fell prey to Australian opponent Charlie Senior in the men’s 57-kilogram quarterfinals.
The bout was tight almost all nine minutes with Paalam showing his accuracy and solid evasion and Senior making good use of his height and reach advantage.
The verdict, though, was ultimately decided by Irish judge Ben McGarrigle, who gave Round 3 to Senior after scoring it 19-all in the other rounds, sending Paalam home without a medal after a silver in Tokyo.
Villegas enters semis
Aira Villegas assured the Philippines of a second medal in the Paris Olympics after stunning host country’s Wassila Lkhadiri in a tight women’s flyweight boxing quarterfinal battle early Sunday (PH time) at the Paris North Arena in Villepinte.
Villegas exerted enough effort to convince the judges that she was better than Lkhadiri en route to a razor-thin split decision win.
She earned the nod of three judges (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) while the other two scored for the French (30-27, 29-28).
Villegas said all her matches will be for teammates Carlo Paalam, Eumir Marcial, and Hergie Bacdayan, who are out of medal contention.
“Inaalay ko rin ‘to sa mga kasamahan ko, kina Eumir, Hergie, tapos kay Carlo kanina. Nalungkot ako pero sabi ko kailangan ko siyang gawing motivation para ibawi ‘yung kasamahan ko (I dedicate this to Eumir, Hergie, and Carlo. I feel sad for them but I’m using it as my motivation to make up for their losses),” Villegas told One News.
Assured of at least a bronze hours after Yulo got the Philippines to the medal board with his floor exercise gold, Villegas can upgrade her medal to a sure silver if she beats Turkey’s Buse Naz Cakiroglu in the semifinals early Wednesday (PH time) as action shifts to the iconic Roland Garros Stadium in downtown Paris.
Unlike Villegas, Cakiroglu entered the semifinals smoothly with a unanimous decision win over Finland’s Pihla Kaivo-Oja.
Yulo’s gold enabled the Philippines to beat all its Southeast Asian neighbors to the medal table.
It was the Philippines’ first medal in Paris and the first of any color from a gymnast.
A total of 58 nations were already on the medal board as of 3 a.m. Sunday – from leader China’s 16-11-9 gold-silver-bronze to a lone bronze apiece by bottom countries Austria, Egypt, Jamaica, Lithuania, Portugal, and Slovakia.
The Philippines was in the company of Argentina, Ecuador, Slovenia, Serbia and Uganda with a lone medal (gold) to show since the quadrennial Games opened on July 26.
The United States had climbed to No. 2 with 12-21-20, France to No. 3 with 12-14-15 and Australia dropped to fourth from No. 2 with 12-7-5.
Great Britain remained fifth at 10-10-12, while Asian nations Republic of Korea (9-7-5) and Japan (8-5-9) occupy sixth and seventh.
Hero’s welcome
The City of Manila, meanwhile, is preparing a hero’s welcome for the Filipino Paris Olympics gold medalist.
Mayor Honey Lacuna said Sunday the city will give a huge welcome for Yulo, an Outstanding Manilan awardee.
“The City of Manila is already preparing a hero’s welcome for Carlos Yulo because we are immensely proud of our Manileño from Leveriza, Malate,” she said in a statement.
The city government will also award the golden boy financial reward and other recognition.
“The grandest welcome will greet him and all our Paris Olympians. When we meet him, we will present Carlos Yulo cash incentives, awards, and symbols of the eternal gratitude of the proud Capital City of the Philippines,” she said.
Last May, the City Council adopted Resolution No. 388, recognizing Yulo and his younger brother, Karl Eldrew, for their victories at the Artistic Gymnastics Asian Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. / PNA