Yulo dominates parallel bars in Qatar World Cup
IF there are any more doubts over his form after training without a coach for almost a year now, Filipino world champion gymnast Carlos Yulo quashed it with impunity yesterday.
It came with a golden effort in the men’s parallel bars and a silver finish in vault in the FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Cup Series in Doha, Qatar that resonated back home that he is still a force to be reckoned with in the Paris Olympics.
Mr. Yulo was his old magnificent self again in registering a 15.200 and hauling that parallel bars gold ahead of Chinese Taipei’s Hung Yuan-Hsi and Brazilian Caio Souza, who settled for the crumbs with a 14.966 and a 14.566, respectively.
Before that, the diminutive but colossal Leveriza, Manila native claimed the silver in vault where he posted an average of 15.066, which was second only to eventual winner Artur Davtyan of Armenia, who had a 15.166.
It was a pair of efforts that resuscitated collective hopes of Yulo and the country at snaring an Olympic mint, the country’s second if it happens and the first in the sport, in Paris.
The feats were Mr. Yulo’s firsts after he ended up medalless in last year’s World Championships in Antwerp, Belgium.
It was quickly blamed on Mr. Yulo’s parting of ways with his former Japanese mentor Munehiro Kugimiya due to personal reasons.
But thanks to this most recent dominance by Mr. Yulo, all of those fears dissipated and turned it into great expectations of glory in Paris. — Joey Villar
