By el Amigo
MANIL — Carlos Yulo’s quest for another global gymnastics medal ended in disappointment as the Filipino Olympic champion finished seventh in vault and eighth in floor exercise at the 54th Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Rotterdam, Netherlands.
Yulo, who entered both finals after solid qualifying performances, could not reproduce his best routines when the medals were at stake.
The 26-year-old gymnast had appeared poised for a strong finish after ranking second in floor exercise with 14.500 points and sixth in vault with 14.266.
But his floor exercise routine took a costly turn when he lost his balance and fell, drawing a 0.300-point deduction. His final score of 13.233 left him at the bottom of the eight-man field.
Frederick Richard of the United States secured the floor exercise title with 14.633 points. Britain’s Jake Jarman followed closely with 14.600 for silver, while Israel’s Artem Dolgopyat collected bronze with 14.466.
Vault offered Yulo another chance to salvage his campaign, but a shaky landing on his first attempt earned him only 13.333 points.
He responded with a better second effort worth 14.433, yet his two-vault average of 13.883 placed him seventh.
Armenia’s Artur Davtyan ruled the event with 14.850 points, ahead of Jarman’s 14.650 and Norway’s Sebastian Sponevik’s 14.366.
Yulo’s campaign also ended without a medal for the Philippines’ other male entries, as his younger brother Karl Eldrew and teammate Juancho Miguel Besana did not make it past qualifying.
The result stood in contrast to Yulo’s gold-medal double at the Asian Games in Japan, where he topped both floor exercise and vault. Those were also the events in which he won Olympic gold at the 2024 Paris Games.
His Rotterdam performance served as a reminder that past triumphs offer no guarantee of success in a world championship final, where a single mistake can dramatically alter the standings.
ia/xf
