MANILA — Filipino gymnast Karl Eldrew Yulo delivered one of the most resilient performances of the 3rd Artistic Gymnastics Junior World Championships, clinching two bronze medals — including a hard-earned podium finish in the horizontal bar — while battling an ankle injury at the Marriott Manila Grand Ballroom in Pasay City.
Yulo capped his campaign with a polished horizontal bar routine that scored 14.000 points, boosted by a 0.10 bonus for a perfectly stuck landing. The mark briefly placed him in silver-medal position before Colombia’s Camilo Vera, performing last, overtook the field with a masterful 14.533 to grab the gold. American Danila Leykin settled for silver with 14.233.
“Parang nananaginip pa rin ako. Gusto ko magpasalamat kay coach Reyland (Capellan). Nagbunga lahat ng pinaghirapan ko. Maski bronze lang, malaking bagay po ito sa akin,” Yulo said after securing his second medal of the tournament.
The 16-year-old gymnast earlier bagged bronze in the floor exercise and reached two other finals — vault and individual all-around — marking his strongest international showing yet on home soil.
He narrowly missed a third medal in the vault final, where he posted a 13.716 average as the seventh performer. But Individual Neutral Athlete Arsenii Dukhno surged ahead with a powerful second vault, finishing with a 14.333 average to take gold. Britons Sol Scott (14.066) and Evan McPhilipps (13.950), who initially led the standings, slipped to silver and bronze./PN
