Team Philippines’ Carlos Yulo celebrates after winning the gold medal during the men’s artistic gymnastics individual floor finals at Bercy Arena at the Paris Olympics 2024, Aug 3, 2024, in Paris, France. – AP
PARIS: He zig-zagged his way past the many media pitstops inside a Tokyo arena, trying to explain what had just happened.
When he finally came in front of Filipino journalists, there were no more words left—just an outpour of emotion wrapped in two words: “It hurts,” Carlos Yulo said as tears pooled at the sides of his eyes.
That was three years ago.
On Saturday (Aug 3), there were no words again, just tears. But boy, were they glorious ones.
The Filipino dynamo won the floor exercise gold medal in the 2024 Paris Olympics with an upgraded difficulty in his routine and an execution that laid to rest his mistakes from three years ago.
“I did not hesitate. I just went for it,” Yulo told journalists after the medal ceremony.
“Went for it” was an understatement.
Yulo killed it. Coldly.
The 24-year-old star who fumbled right in his first pass and crashed out of the floor exercise medal hunt in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics sealed his moment of glory with a perfect landing that drew roars of approval from the packed Barcy Arena.
Yulo’s final run in his routine featured a front full into a three-and-a-half twist, which was impressive on its own. But then he stuck the landing so emphatically that he could not help but roar loudly and pump his arms sideways to let everyone know that he did exactly what he set out to do in the final.
The judges agreed: The two-time world champion, who submitted a 6.600 and was rewarded for his near-flawless execution of that routine, garnering a 15.000 for the gold.
“I’m so overwhelmed. I’m feeling grateful for having this medal and for God. He protected me, as always,” said Yulo. “He gave me the strength to get through this kind of performance and perform this well.”
He isn’t even done yet.
Yulo has a chance of making it two gold medals in the Paris Games when he competes in the vault finals on Sunday (Aug 4). And he might have even better chances there.
Yulo fared better in the vault than in the floor exercise during the all-around finale.
Artem Dolgopyat of Israel, the defending floor exercise champion, settled for the silver this time while Great Britain’s Jake Jarman rounded out the podium with a bronze.
Dolgopyat set the pace with his 14.966 points, giving Yulo a tough act to follow. But Yulo was undaunted when he took his turn.
He opened with a two-and-a-half twist to front double pike. Then, he went into a front double full to front double tuck.
He had slight hops at the end of both. But after a full-twisting double, he stuck another landing and it was clear he was in the middle of something special.
The biggest scare came when Jarman, who topped the floor exercise during the men’s all-around final and qualifications, took the floor.
While the British gymnast, a friend of Yulo’s whose mother is Filipino, executed his routine, Yulo watched with bated breath until it was revealed that Jarman scored 14.933 points.
He let out another primal yell.
The gold was his.
And it was also more than just his.
“I dedicate this to the Filipino people,” Yulo said.
“We are a small country. Our [delegation] is not that big. So to be able to win a gold medal is really big for us.”
Yulo became just the second Olympic champion for the Philippines ever. Three years ago, Hidilyn Diaz emboldened an entire nation to chase greatness when she won the weightlifting gold medal in the women’s 55kg division.
A day before Diaz’s historic, trailblazing triumph, Yulo went from one interview to another, trying to put into words how he missed out on his own shot at glory.
He couldn’t find the right words again Saturday night.
“I still can’t believe I was able to do this,” he said.
It was hard to hear him anyway, what with the din of celebration that followed another display of Filipino greatness on the Olympic stage. With reports from AFP. – Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN
