Eldrew Yulo gets valuable experience in senior level debut

MANILA, Philippines – A medal may not have been meant to be, but Eldrew Yulo showed promise in his senior level debut.

The 18-year-old Yulo made two apparatus finals in the Baku, Azerbaijan, leg of the FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Cup series, contending for medals in the men’s floor exercise and horizontal bar.

Yulo finished sixth in the floor exercise on Saturday, March 7, with a score of 13.9 points as he held his own against more accomplished competitors despite being the youngest finalist.

Belarus’ Yahor Sharamkou claimed the floor exercise crown with 14.533 points, while Kazakhstan’s Milad Karimi (14.3) and Japan’s Kazuki Minami (14.2) bagged silver and bronze, respectively.

In the horizontal bar on Sunday, March 8, where Yulo once again stood as the youngest finalist, he placed seventh with 13.033 points.

Paris Olympics horizontal bar bronze medalist Tang Chia-Hung of Chinese Taipei topped the field with 15.366 points, beating out Karimi (15.033) and Colombia’s Angel Barajas (14.4) for the gold medal.

For Gymnastics Association of the Philippines president Cynthia Carrion, the experience of world-class competition will benefit Yulo, who is just a couple of months removed since he won a pair of bronze medals in the Junior World Championships hosted by the Philippines in November.

“I am meeting him in Turkiye and [I] hope [he] will improve his exposure,” Carrion told Rappler on Monday, March 9.

“This is his first senior championship, he has to get used to it. He will improve as the days go by and as [he competes in] more World Cups.”

Yulo will see action in another World Cup in Antalya, Turkey, set from March 12 to 15. – Rappler.com