Philippines wins floor exercise gold medal at Paris Olympics
Carlos Yulo successfully delivered Team Philippines’ first gold medal in the Paris Olympics 2024, ruling the men’s artistic gymnastics floor exercise final at Bercy Arena on Saturday night (Manila time).
Yulo tallied 15.000 points as the third gymnast competing in his pet apparatus, sufficient for a golden finish–the first of the country in this year’s Olympics and second overall after Hidilyn Diaz Naranjo’s breakthrough gold in the Tokyo Games.
Artem Dolgopyat of Israel, the defending champion of the event, won the silver while Great Britain’s Jake Jarman rounded out the podium with a bronze.
Spain’s Rayderley Zapata opened the floor exercise with a routine that earned him 14.333 points. Dolgopyat followed suit and scored 14.966 points, giving Yulo a tough act to follow.
But the Filipino bet showcased his steel-like composure and it bore a golden result.
With the whole Bercy Arena watching his every move, Yulo executed his floor exercise routine almost flawlessly, earning an impressive score that five gymnasts had to follow.
Yulo, a former world champion in floor exercise, stuck his triple-twisting dismount during his final tumbling pass. He stuck his arms out and roared before walking off the podium.
The biggest scare came when Jarman, who topped the floor exercise during the men’s all-around final and qualifications, took the floor.
While the British gymnast, a friend of Yulo’s whose mother is Filipino, executed his routine, Yulo watched with bated breath until it was revealed that Jarman scored 14.933 points.
Luke Whitehouse, the last gymnast to compete, was observed eagerly by Yulo and his camp as it determined whether the Filipino bet would finish with a gold or silver.
And when the other Great Britain’s bet’s score was revealed, Yulo broke down in tears of joy as it officially signaled that he would be taking home the gold medal. Whitehouse tallied just 14.466 points.
Yulo has a chance to add one more medal to his haul when he takes on the vault apparatus–where he was also once a world champion–on Sunday.
Yulo joins weightlifter Diaz as the only Olympic gold medalist from the Philippines. Diaz earned gold in the weightlifting women’s 55-kilogram division in Tokyo three years ago.
Rommel Fuertes Jr.
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Asia News Network
