The Gymnastics Association of the Philippines wants to send Southeast Asian Games gold medalists Juancho Miguel Besana and John Ivan Cruz to Japan to train for the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China from 23 September to 8 October.
GAP president Cynthia Carrion said she wants the two gymnasts to be exposed to the same training environment as two-time world champion Carlos Yulo.
The 23-year-old Yulo won’t be playing in this year’s Asiad due to his participation in the 52nd FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Antwerp, Belgium starting on 30 September.
Carrion also said the two gymnasts will train under the watchful eye of Yulo’s Japanese mentor, Munehiro Kugimiya.
“Our Asian Games athletes, Miguel and Ivan, I was hoping and I was talking with (Philippine Sports Commission) chairman Richard Bachmann if they can train with coach Mune in Japan,” Carrion said in a press conference last Friday.
“This Asian Games is important because Carlos will not be there to win the gold medal because he will be in Belgium.”
With Yulo preparing to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics via the World Championships this year, Besana and Cruz need to step up and show what they got.
At the 32nd SEA Games in Cambodia last May, Besana pocketed the gold medal in the vault while Cruz captured the top prize in the floor exercise.
Both gymnasts also made it to the apparatus final of the Asian Championships this year in their respective events.
Besana already trained in Japan with Carlos’ younger brother, Karl Eldrew Yulo. He has since expressed desire to hone his skills for a tougher field of competition in the Asian Games.
“This time, I will focus on vault because that’s my biggest chance to get a medal. I need to take care of the physical aspect as well,” Besana said.
“A lot of countries and athletes didn’t join in the Asian Championships like Iran. I have to prepare for the Asian Games since the competition there will be a lot stronger.”
For Cruz, he couldn’t wait to train in Japan for the first time in his career.
“For me, I need to master my skills since it was my first time to enter the final of the Asian Championships. I need to be composed whenever I play,” Cruz said.
“I’m excited and a bit nervous since it will be my first time playing in Japan. The training there is really hard and I will learn a lot there.”
Carlos said the team, even without him, won’t go down without a fight and will even try to vie for a medal in the Asiad.
“I can’t say that the competition will be easy because even without their team A, China and Japan are good. But I can’t rule out the chances of them getting a medal there,” Yulo said.
