Carlos Yulo takes a big step towards his dream of making it to the Paris Olympics as he competes in the first day of the 52nd FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships at the Sportpaleis Antwerpen in Antwerp, Belgium on Saturday.
The competition begins as early as 10 a.m. (4 p.m. Manila time) as the two-time world champion attempts to take an early lead in the men’s individual all-around rankings.
Only the top eight gymnasts in the individual all-around division will secure a ticket to the Summer Games next year.
The Philippines will be fielding its biggest delegation with Filipino-American gymnasts Aleah Finnegan and Kylee Kvamme competing in the women’s division on Sunday.
Juancho Miguel Besana was supposed to join them after the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China but getting an injury weeks before the tournament prompted the Gymnastics Association of the Philippines to prevent him from suiting up.
This will be Yulo’s first stint in the world championships without Japanese mentor Munehiro Kugimiya.
GAP president Cynthia Carrion told DAILY TRIBUNE that Yulo will still follow Kugimiya’s blueprint for their roadmap to the 2024 Paris Games.
National team coach Allen Aldrin Castañeda is with Yulo along with physiotherapist Hazel Calawod.
“They outgrew each other. He knew him when he was a small boy. Now he is a young man. Everybody changes coaches so there’s no surprise,” Carrion said in a phone conversation.
“He knows exactly what to do now. He just needs a coach to monitor him.”
Stars such as Tokyo Olympics gold medalists Daiki Hashimoto of Japan, Great Britain’s Max Whitlock and China’s Liu Yang are expected to play in the biggest artistic gymnastics tournament of the year.
