CARLOS YULO sprained his left ankle in training in Japan and won’t be able to compete in the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) World Cup Apparatus Series in Egypt.
Although the injury isn’t serious, Yulo could no longer make the competition that started Thursday and ends on Sunday.
“I’m already in Cairo and unfortunately, Caloy [Yulo] is not here as he sprained his ankle and would no longer be competing here,” Gymnastics Association of the Philippines president Cynthia Carrion-Norton told BusinessMirror via internet call on Thursday.
“His doctor in Japan recommended that Caloy shouldn’t compete here anymore and I found out about it when I was already here,” Carrion-Norton said.
Cairo is the fourth and last leg of the World Cup series that determines who would earn berths to the September 29 to October 8 world championships in Antwerp, Belgium, a qualifier for the Paris 2024 Olympics.
No worries though for the 23-year-old Yulo—a former world champion in vault and floor exercise—as he already qualified for Antwerp after emerging No. 2 in parallel bars and No. 3 in floor exercise after three legs in series.
He won three golds (floor, vault and parallel bars), one silver (parallel bars) and two bronze medals (parallel bars and vault) combined in the first three legs held in Cottbus (Germany), Doha (Qatar) and Baku (Azerbaijan).
Carrion-Norton said the Cairo organizers are disappointed with the absence of Yulo.
The good news for Yulo is that his doctors said he would be available for the Southeast Asian Games that start May 5 in Cambodia and the 10th Asian Artistic Gymnastics Championships from June 10 to 18 at the OCB in Singapore.
“He’s already qualified for the worlds, it doesn’t matter. He should just rest,” Carrion-Norton said.
Carrion-Norton said Yulo will fly to Manila on May 4 and will join his teammates in a flight to Phnom Penh on May 7.
Yulo will compete in the team event, individual all-around, parallel bars and high bars in Cambodia.