WORLD champion Carlos “Caloy” Yulo goes for a world championship ticket in men’s individual all-around when he competes in the Asian Artistic Gymnastics Championships from June 10 to 18 at the OCBC Arena in Singapore.
“I need to qualify first for the world championships in individual all-around before going for a slot in Paris,” the 23-year-old Yulo told online news conference on Monday afternoon.
He needs to win in Singapore to be able to compete in the event at the world championships in Antwerp, Belgium, from September 30 to October 8.
Gymnastics Association of the Philippines (GAP) President Cynthia Carrion-Norton said the association’s senior gymnasts will fly from their respective training base abroad to Singapore by June 12.
“Carlos Yulo and Juancho [Besana] will come from Japan while others will fly from the Philippines and Aleah Finnegan from the United States,” Carrion-Norton said. “This tournament is very big for our gymnasts for them to realize their Olympic dreams.”
Yulo won the all-around and parallel bars gold medals in the recent Cambodia 32nd Southeast Asian Games where Besana and John Ivan Cruz also triumphed.
Also competing in Singapore are Justin Ace de Leon and Gwynn Jann Timbang.
Competing in the women’s division are SEA Games gold medalist Aleah Finnegan, Lucia Gutierrez, Kylee Ann Kvamme, Emma Lauren Malabuyo and Lucia Mari Manzano.
The Philippines won four gold, two silver and two bronze medals to place second behind Vietnam (9-2-2) in the Cambodia gymnastics competition.
