Karl Eldrew Yulo remains grateful despite missing out on the podium in his Asian Games debut, saying he still has plenty of room to grow after reaching the men’s floor exercise final in Nagoya, Japan.

The 18-year-old Yulo finished seventh with 12.223 points in the final on Thursday at the Rainbow Hall of the Nagoya City General Gymnasium.

“I mean, it didn’t come out the way I expected, of course. But I’m still thankful to the Lord because I’m safe and nothing bad happened to me,” the younger Yulo said in an interview with One Sports.

“I don’t want to use my age as an excuse. I’m still young, I still have a lot of work to do and a lot to learn.”

While Eldrew fell short of the podium, his older brother and two-time Olympic champion Carlos Yulo captured his first Asian Games gold after ruling the floor exercise with 14.666 points.

For Eldrew, seeing his brother on top only fueled his desire to improve.

“I’m super proud of him because he already completed his collection in the Asian Games. I’m just proud to see him on top,” Eldrew said.

“And I want to follow him — not just in terms of achievements, but also in his focus and in gymnastics.”

Eldrew will get another chance to earn an Asiad medal when he competes in the horizontal bar final on Friday at 4:40 p.m. Manila time.

Carlos, meanwhile, said he will continue to support his younger brother as Eldrew builds his own path in gymnastics.

“It’s really a tough situation, but I know that my brother can do it. I’m here to support him,” Carlos said. Ivan Suing