FILE – Carlos Yulo bags the gold in men’s floor exercise during the 31st SEA Games. SEA GAMES POOL
MANILA, Philippines-Carlos Yulo emerged with the most medals for Team Philippines for two Southeast Asian Games in a row.
Organizers of the 32nd Southeast Asian Games in Phnom Penh, Cambodia probably took notice and made the necessary modification that will restrain the Filipino gymnastics star from relishing a similar feat.
Gymnastics Association of the Philippines president Cynthia Carrion-Norton revealed on Monday that Yulo would be confined to seeing action in the men’s individual all-around, parallel bars, horizontal bar and men’s team event, a total of four gold medals if he could win them all.
The 23-year-old, Japan-based fireball collected five gold medals and two silvers in men’s artistic gymnastics last year in Hanoi, Vietnam and had two golds and five silvers back in 2019 Manila.
“It will not be as many as seven, but he (Yulo) will again be up to the task to win multiple golds,” said Carrion during the send-off ceremony at the PICC for the Philippine team bound for Cambodia.
The country will send 905 athletes and 257 officials in all 38 sports to Phnom Penh from May 5-17 in a bid to surpass the Philippine output of 52 golds, 70 silvers and 104 bronzes in Hanoi.
President Marcos attended the sendoff along with top officials of the Philippine Sports Commission led by its chairman Richard Bachmann, the Philippine Olympic Committee headed by Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino and Senate committee for sports chairman Sen. Bong Go.
“Sports is one of the very few activities that has no downside. The only downside to sports is sometimes you get injured, but everything else is good for you,” said Marcos.
“All of our champions have brought glory to the Philippines through their sacrifice and success and it made every single Filipino proud. For that, I thank you for all the glory and honor that you have given the country,” Marcos told the athletes.
Gymnastics Association of the Philippines president Cynthia Carrion-Norton
According to Carrion, host Cambodia has put restrictions that limit gymnasts to perform only in two apparatuses.
Yulo claimed the gold medal in the horizontal bar and settled for silver in the parallel bars in the previous edition of the Games.
But the limitations in Cambodia won’t deter the gymnastics team from amassing more medals.
“We are training hard, so we can win medals even without the other events of Carlos,” said Carrion.
Yulo was part of the silver-medal men’s team in Hanoi last year, a performance they intend to enhance this time around.
“They are aiming higher. They want to win the gold,” said Carrion.
Yulo is preparing for the final leg of the FIG Apparatus World Cup Series in Cairo, Egypt this weekend and will return home prior to his Cambodian sojourn.
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