Yulo triumph sends Phl to No. 33

Carlos Yulo’s golden triumph in the final round of the men’s floor exercise event had sent the Philippines flying into the medal table of the Paris Olympics.

At the close of the eighth day of action on Saturday, the Filipinos climbed to No. 33, becoming the first Southeast Asian country to win an Olympic gold medal.

The Filipinos share the 33rd spot with Argentina, Ecuador, Slovenia, Serbia and Uganda, while other Asian countries like North Korea (No. 40), Mongolia (No. 45), India (No. 50), and Tajikistan and Chinese Taipei (No. 51) are several notches below.

China remains at the top with 16 gold, 11 silver, and nine bronze medals, while host France and Australia hold the second and third spots with 12 mints apiece in this 206-nation competition.

The United States, the reigning Olympic champion, is at fourth with 11 gold, 20 silver, and 20 bronze medals for a tournament-leading 51 total medals.

South Korea and Japan round out the Asian invasion in the top 10 with eight and six gold medals, respectively, while Hong Kong is at No. 17 with two mints.

Yulo’s gold medal is the country’s second in its 100 years of participation in the Summer Games.

In the previous Olympics in Tokyo three years ago, the Filipinos finished their campaign with a gold medal from weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz, silver medals from boxers Nesthy Petecio and Carlo Paalam, and bronze medal from boxer Eumir Marcial to emerge at No. 50 in the medal ranking.

The Philippines, however, still has a chance to further increase its medal production in the ongoing Games as Yulo still has a chance for a golden double when he sees action in the vault, while boxers Nesthy Petecio and Aira Villegas, as well as pole vaulter Ernest John Obiena, are still in contention.