Carlos Yulo, the talented Filipino gymnast and double Olympic champion, has showcased his remarkable skills at the 54th FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Rotterdam, Netherlands. At 26, Yulo is firmly in contention for gold medals in two of his favorite events: the floor exercise and the vault. This achievement comes on the heels of his recent success, where he claimed two gold medals at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games just a month ago.
During the qualification rounds held on October 20, Yulo distinguished himself by finishing second in the floor exercise with a score of 14.500 and sixth in the vault with an average score of 14.266. These impressive scores secured him spots in the upcoming finals for both apparatuses, much to the excitement of fans and supporters back in the Philippines.
The finals for the floor exercise will take place on Saturday, followed by the vault final on Sunday. Yulo will face tough competition in these events, including Russian gymnast Arsenii Dukhno, the 2021 World Junior champion, who led the qualification round with a score of 14.700. Other notable competitors in the floor exercise final include Artem Dolgopyat of Israel, the Olympic champion, and Great Britain's Jake Jarman, who scored 14.133 in qualification.
The vault final is anticipated to be equally competitive, featuring Jarman again, who managed to achieve a qualifying score of 14.633, along with Yulo's long-time rival, Artur Davtyan from Armenia.
Achieving victory in Rotterdam would add to Yulo’s already illustrious career, which boasts a gold medal in the floor exercise at the Stuttgart World Championships in 2019 and vault golds at the Kitakyushu Championships in 2021 and the Jakarta Championships in 2025. His growing collection of medals continues to elevate his status in the world of gymnastics.
However, not everything was smooth sailing for the Yulo family. Carlos's younger brother, Eldrew Yulo, made his World Championships debut but faced challenges in a competitive field. The 17-year-old finished 84th in the all-around category with a score of 67.032, failing to qualify for further apparatus competitions.
Despite the mixed results from the younger Yulo, Carlos's advancement into the finals keeps hopes high for the Philippines, as he aims to secure further international success for his country.