Philippines’ Carlos Yulo bags FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Cup Series double golds in Baku, Azerbaijan
5 min readFilipino Olympian Carlos Edriel Yulo won two gold medals at the FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Cup Series in Baku, Azerbaijan over the weekend.
Yulo, who is 23 years old, took the gold in the vault final on Sunday, March 12, with an average of 14.933 points.
He also won the gold in the parallel bars on Saturday, March 11.
Yulo’s stunning performance began on Saturday, where he took the gold medal in the parallel bars. Ukrainian Illia Kovtun, with a higher difficulty rating of 6.6, finished second with 15.366 points.
However, Yulo’s execution garnered him more points, allowing him to secure the top spot on the podium.
On Sunday, Yulo once again proved his skill by ruling the vault final with an average score of 14.933 points. Harry Hepworth of Great Britain settled for second place with 14.816 points, followed by Shek Wai Hung of Hong Kong and French Cameron-Lie Bernard, who took third and fourth place, respectively.
The FIG, the International Gymnastics Federation, featured Yulo’s golden vault performance on Twitter, with a caption: “Carlos Yulo vaults a masterful Blanik (handspring double front pike).
His legs and feet never come apart, his pike position is sublime, his landing extremely well-controlled.
He controls his Lopez well too, just a step back. 14.933 average gives Yulo the lead!”
Yulo’s final event was in the still rings, where he fell short of making it to the top three, finishing seventh with 14.166 points.
Home bet Nikita Simonov clinched the gold with 14.633 points, followed by Iranian Mahdi Ahmad Kohani, who copped the silver with 14.500 points.
Austrian Vinzenz Hoeck secured the bronze with 14.433 points.
Yulo, on his Facebook, wrote: “First of all, I would like to thank God Lord for these blessings and for keeping all the athletes healthy and well ❤️🙏🏻 There were walls I needed to smash and jump over each day of the competition. Lots of improvement in the mental aspect of being an athlete, which I’m very grateful for. I had a tough time during floor exercise but still managed to qualify for 3 events — which I did not expect and was really happy about. 🙇🏻♂️ Another treasure I will hold onto and carry with me in our future endeavours. 💪🏼 Thank you so much to each and every one of you who prayed and supported me throughout this World Cup Series.”
Yulo has now won a total of three gold medals in the FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Cup Series.
He claimed his first victory by dominating the floor exercise in Qatar.
His recent victories in Baku have put him in the running for even more medals as he prepares to compete in the Egypt leg of the World Cup Series in April.
Filipino President Marcos congratulated Yulo on his double gold medal victory, calling it “another shining moment in the world of gymnastics.” He urged Yulo to “keep making history,” a sentiment shared by Yulo’s fans and supporters worldwide.
Yulo’s performance in Baku demonstrates his skill and dedication to the sport of gymnastics.
With more competitions on the horizon, Yulo has the opportunity to continue making his mark on the world stage and inspiring future generations of Filipino gymnasts.
Senator Christopher “Bong” Go, chair of the Senate Committee on Sports, also lauded Yulo for his double golds in Baku, congratulating him for his recent feats.
The Philippines, bannered by Yulo, is currently in the fourth spot of the World Cup Series 2023, accounting for three golds, one silver, and two bronzes.
Japan paces the series with four golds, five silvers, and two bronzes, followed by 3-5-0 Italy and 3-4-1 Ukraine in second and third, respectively.
