TOKYO—Carlos Yulo has turned his sights to the vault finals where he has a chance at landing a medal in the gymnastics competition of the Tokyo Olympics at the Ariake Arena.
The 21-year-old Yulo, was a disappointment in his pet floor exercise, finishing in 44th place in the qualifying phase with a 13.566 effort.
Yulo was way off the top 8 who will battle for the gold in the event where he won the world championship gold medal in Stuttgart, Germany, in 2019.
The shy gymnast made up for it with a solid 14.712-point performance in the vault, good for sixth spot and a place in the finals set on August 2.
“Nagulat nga po ako,” Yulo said of his performance in the floor exercise. “Hindi ko po alam na nakapasok ako.”
Yulo has not reached the finals of the vault in any major tournament until Tokyo, but promised to make the most of the opportunity.
To make the podium, Yulo said he may need to get to the 15 level, which he said will entail sticking both his landings in the finals.
“Malabo po. Marami pong magaling,” he said when asked about his medal chances. “Pero kaya pa pong itaas ’yan [14.712 in qualifying].”