Yulo set for Japan training

Carlos Yulo will be returning to the country where he evolved into one of the greatest Filipino Olympians.

Gymnastics Association of the Philippines secretary general Rowena Bautista said the 25-year-old Yulo will be having a two-week training at the Tokushukai Gymnastics Club in Kanagawa, Japan in preparation for the 53rd FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Jakarta from 19 to 25 October.

Yulo, who sharpened his skills in Tokyo before winning two gold medals in the Paris Olympics last year, will be joined by Miguel Besana, John Ivan Cruz and Justine de Leon in the two-week camp starting 28 September.

“They will train in Japan for two weeks before flying straight to Jakarta. He will be joined by Miguel Besana, John Ivan Cruz and Justine de Leon,” Bautista told DAILY TRIBUNE in a phone conversation.

“Coaches Aldrin Castañeda and Nadal Al Yousef will also join them.”

Yulo owes his gymnastics brilliance to the Japanese.

He moved to Japan in 2016 and trained at the prestigious Ajinomoto National Training Center under the guidance of mentor Munehiro Kugimiya.

Under Kugimiya’s tutelage, Yulo became a two-time world champion in 2019 and 2021 and emerged as a 10-time gold medalist in the Asian Championships with nine gold medals in the Southeast Asian Games.

While training, Yulo earned a degree in Literature from Teikyo University in 2022.

When Yulo and Kugimiya parted ways in 2023 due to personal reasons, the Filipino still used his Japanese mentor’s game plan, prompting him to win a pair of gold medals in the Paris Olympics.

Yulo returned to Tokushukai after the Summer Games, where he reunited with former teammate and Olympic champion Shinnosuke Oka.

While Yulo’s younger brother Eldrew, is also in Japan with Kugimiya, the gymnastics executive said a reunion might not be possible as the latter is in Nagoya, which is almost a four-hour drive from Kanagawa.

“Eldrew is in Nagoya, which is too far from Carlos’ camp,” Bautista said, adding that Yulo is favored to dominate his pet events — floor exercise and vault — when he competes in the worlds anew.