After falling short in the Cottbus edition, Carlos Yulo aims to bounce back when he sees action in the next leg of the FIG World Cup in Doha from 1 to 4 March.
Gymnastics Association of the Philippines president Cynthia Carrion told Daly Tribune that Yulo vowed to do better after failing to come up with podium finishes in the men’s rings, men’s vault and men’s floor exercise events in Cottbus, Germany.
The 23-year-old Olympian is currently competing in the finals of the men’s parallel bars as of press time while another Filipino ace in Juancho Miguel Besana is taking a crack at the gold medal of the men’s vault apparatus.
“Caloy said in Doha he will do much better,” Carrion said.
“He is in the finals for parallel bar with a score of 14:933, his highest and will improve in Doha.”
With this, Yulo and his team, headed by Japanese mentor Munehiro Kugimiya, will have to carefully plot their next move as he will have a very packed schedule for 2023.
Aside from the upcoming second leg in Doha, Yulo will also compete in the third leg in Baku from 9 to 12 March and the fourth leg in Cairo from 27 to 30 April.
Then, he will compete in the 32nd Southeast Asian SEA Games in Cambodia from 5 to 17 May before flying to Singapore for the 10th Asian Artistic Gymnastic Championships from 10 to 18 June.
His biggest competition of the year will be the 2023 Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Antwerp, Belgium from 30 September and 8 October, where a top eight place in the men’s all-around will earn him an automatic spot in the Paris Olympics.
With an Olympic slot up for grabs in the World Championships, Yulo opted to skip the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China from 23 September to 8 October.
Yulo said they aren’t rushing things to make sure injuries won’t happen often.
“We have a rehabilitation practice for the muscles and ligaments so that I won’t get into too many accidents, especially on the legs because we’ve been doing the floor and vault a lot. Coach Mune (Kugimiya) bases it on strength,” Yulo said in a previous report.
“I’m taking things slowly because everything becomes clearer when I don’t concentrate on all the competitions. I could mess up if I continue thinking of all the competitions.”
