Carlos Yulo remains proud of his achievement despite failing to win more than one gold medal in the 12th Senior Asian Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Jecheon, South Korea over the weekend.
The 25-year-old gymnastics powerhouse said he is happy to be back on track despite emerging with just one gold in the prestigious Asian tournament that he used to dominate in the past.
Yulo won the crown in his pet event — floor exercise – while settling for bronze in the all-around, vault and parallel bars.
“A lot of things could have happened and all I prayed for during this competition was to stay healthy, calm and be safe. But what God gave me was more than anything I could have asked for,” Yulo, the first Filipino to win two Olympic gold medals, said.
“I am so grateful to be able to compete again, and to express my love for gymnastics. I will carry all the lessons of the past years with me on this return.”
Yulo still has two more tournaments to compete in this year as he slowly gets back into competition mode.
First, he will compete in the 53rd FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Jakarta from 19 to 25 October.
Aside from seeking redemption after leaving last year’s edition empty-handed in Antwerp, Yulo will also get to test his mettle against familiar foes like Artem Dolgopyat of Israel and Artur Davtyan of Armenia.
He will also campaign in the 33rd Southeast Asian Games in Thailand from 9 to 20 December where he is expected to blow away the competition.
Gymnastics Association of the Philippines president Cynthia Carrion told DAILY TRIBUNE that she is proud of her prized ward for emerging with podium finishes despite his commitments following his success in the Paris Olympics last year.
“Carlos in spite of all his activities in Manila due to being a two-time gold medalist was happy to compete in this Asian championship to learn more about his skills and new code of points. I was so proud of all of them and how they represented the Philippines,” Carrion said.