August 5, 2024
MANILA – Carlos Yulo took a risk and got greatly rewarded for it.
Vaulting with a difficulty of 6.000 in his first routine on Sunday spelled all the difference for the 24-year-old dynamo, who bagged a second gold medal in the Paris Olympics by winning the vault apparatus in the men’s artistic gymnastics competition, which—just by himself—enabled Team Philippines to eclipse its great effort in the Tokyo edition three years ago.
Yulo tallied a 15.433 in his first vault and then was nearly flawless in his second with a lower degree of difficulty for 14.800 and a 15.116 tally that was enough to fend off a charging Armenian former world champion.
“It’s all God,” was what could be read from Yulo’s lips when the final scores were posted, the same words he uttered after ruling the floor exercise event just over 24 hours before also before a big crowd at Barcy Arena.
Yulo also became the first Filipino to ever win multiple medals in one Olympics.
Armenia’s Artur Davtyan, the last bet to vault, made it a suspenseful wait. He went home with the silver with a 14.966 total, getting undone after difficulty of just 5.60 for each vault.
Harry Hepworth, who set the pace early, fell to bronze while his fellow Briton Jake Jarman was bumped off the podium after the Davtyan score was posted.
Team PH had one gold courtesy of weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz, and two silvers and a bronze from three dogged pugs in Japan during the COVID-delayed edition.
Yulo’s two victories have now certainly established a new sporting hero for the Philippines, which also toasted the win of Nesthy Petecio in the quarterfinals of the women’s 57-kilogram division in boxing over China’s Xu Zichun for a sure bronze medal.
Another female boxer in Aira Villegas is also assured of a bronze, with EJ Obiena, the world’s second-ranked pole vaulter, to shoot for another medal, obviously the gold, on Wednesday.