Munehiro Kugimiya may not be presented in the Paris Olympics, but his influence was very obvious in the performance of his former ward — Carlos Yulo.
Gymnastics chief Cynthia Carrion said Yulo followed the game plan of the prolific Japanese mentor to the letter, paving the way for his historic conquest in the Summer Games last August.
Kugimiya and Yulo trained together in Japan from 2016 to 2023 until they had a rift that led to their controversial separation.
Still, Kugimiya’s influence was obviously present in Yulo’s performance.
“We just continued doing what we’re doing, motivating everybody and then making sure that we’re doing the right thing and having a team for full support,” Carrion said.
With Kugimiya’s game plan in action and Filipino Aldrin Castañeda serving as his mentor, Yulo ruled the floor exercise and vault events to become the first Filipino to secure two Olympic gold medals.
Now, Yulo is facing an action-packed year that includes the 12th Senior Asian Gymnastics Championships, FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships, and the 33rd Southeast Asian Games.