Carlos Yulo captured the gold medal in the men’s artistic gymnastics floor exercise, fulfilling his promise as one of the country’s top medal contenders.
Performing under the bright lights of the Bercy Arena on Saturday night, Yulo executed a flawless routine, earning a stellar score of 15.000. His performance, marked by the highest difficulty level among the competitors, set him apart from seven other finalists.
That #gold medal feeling for the Philippines pic.twitter.com/ZtMt0Pss1n
— The Olympic Games (@Olympics) August 3, 2024
Competing third, Yulo faced the pressure of waiting for five other gymnasts, including Great Britain’s Jake Jarman, who topped the qualifying round. Jarman scored 14.933, while Israel’s Artem Dolgopyat, the reigning Tokyo floor exercise champion, scored 14.966. Yulo’s top score held firm, leading to a thrilling finish.
CARLOS YULO GOT A 15.000 SCORE!!! SHUTANGINA MAY LABAN TAYO #Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/2VoQHGqnKK
— ALTStarMagic (@AltStarMagic) August 3, 2024
The anticipation peaked as the final competitor, Great Britain’s Luke Whitehouse, awaited his score. When Whitehouse’s score of 14.466 was revealed, Yulo erupted in joy, a sentiment shared by supporters across the Philippines.
“I just went for it, I didn’t hesitate,” Yulo remarked about his gold-medal routine.
This achievement marks the Philippines’ second Olympic gold, following Hidilyn Diaz’s historic weightlifting victory in Tokyo 2021. For Yulo, this win is a redemption story; he failed to qualify for the floor exercise final in Tokyo and finished fourth in the vault. Now, he has achieved his goal, standing atop the podium in his favored event.
“I’m so overwhelmed. I’m feeling grateful for having this medal and for God. He protected me, as always,” Yulo shared. “He gave me the strength to get through this kind of performance and perform this well.”
Yulo remains in contention for another medal in the vault final, set for Sunday evening at the Bercy Arena. He advanced to the finals in the all-around, floor exercise, and vault, finishing 12th in the individual all-around last Thursday.
In the qualifying rounds, Yulo scored 14.766 in the floor exercise, trailing only Jarman’s 14.966. He placed sixth in the vault qualifications with a score of 14.683.
China’s Xiao Ruoteng, the Tokyo floor bronze medalist, had a disappointing final, finishing last with a score of 13.933 after stepping out of bounds on his opening jump. Xiao had aimed to add to his Paris Games medals, which included a silver in the men’s team event and a bronze in the all-around competition.
